Garden chores for July
Simply type "July garden tips" in the Google search box and you will get plenty of advice and a list of chores that is a mile long.
But not all of these lists are applicable in your area -- every region of the country has its own climate and its own microclimates. So check the source for the tips. Many come from extension services or agricultural departments at universities in your area.
I checked in with my friend and fellow blogger, Susan Harris, who provides monthly garden chore lists at Behnkes Nurseries in Beltsville.
Her advice? Water and weed. And that's just for starters. (The University of Maryland Extension reports that Maryland is suffering from drought conditions during a particularly dry June and July. They have detailed watering advice for gardeners.)
Susan's tips also include:
- Chrysanthemums should be cut back by about half to encourage fall blooming (rather than later this month), and to create taller stems that don’t flop.
- Deadhead reblooming perennials and annuals to encourage rebloom, except for those with attractive or bird-supporting seedheads, which you may want to leave in the garden until winter.
- Many shrubs will rebloom if deadheaded, too – like many roses, spireas, and crapemyrtle.
Remove dead, damaged or disease branches of shrubs and trees anytime. Same goes for suckers and water sprouts. - July 4th is the traditional “last call” for pruning many shrubs that bloom next year on buds that are set this year (e.g., azaleas, rhododendrons, lilacs, early-blooming spireas). So if you want blooms next spring, do NOT prune these shrubs after the 4th.
- Except for roses, don’t feed your shrubs or trees now – wait until winter or early spring. But do give roses their final feeding of the summer this month.
- Be alert for slug and snail damage. They’ll hide during the heat of the day, then come out of hiding in the cool mornings and evening hours or after a rain. Seek and destroy all slugs and their eggs! Use Sluggo for best control.
- Many different kinds of caterpillars are feeding on shade trees. No controls are necessary unless severe defoliation is observed.
