July is for patriotic porch time, hot lazy days spent listening to the cicadas, and shaded evenings staying up late on the deck or patio. Your garden should be in full swing and parts of it are ready for some maintenance. Below is a list of things that you can do to beautify the yard in the heat of July.
- Deadheading Dayliles after they bloom. (This may encourage more blooms in some varieties and keep them from getting huge seed heads)
- Perennial Salvia that has bloomed can get cut in half (literally in half) and will rebloom in just three weeks.
- Regular watering and a good dose of fertilizer will help plants and turf grass survive the heat.
- Get a snap shot of what bugs are hanging around your garden and consider if the damage they are doing is tolerable. There are organic and natural pest controls as well as more chemical ones to consider.
- Hot Humid July can lead to spots and mildews. Prevent and treat with an easy fungicide spray on the usually victims: peonies, saliva, Veronica, Roses, Ninebark, pumpkins and squash.
- Long, leggy petunias and calibrachoa can be cut in half or more to encourage now growth and new blooms. Fertilize your annuals with a liquid fertilizer even if you have already used a slow release fertilizer. July packs a lot of heat and can stress out plants.
