Follow this checklist to keep your garden thriving.
Chores and Maintenance:
- Continue to cultivate planting beds to remove weeds
- Continue to dig and divide early-blooming perennials after flowering
- Water, water, water as necessary
- Continue to mulch planting beds
- Set supports for floppy plants, vines and vegetables
- Deadhead rhododendrons, lilacs and perennials after flowering
- Add to, aerate and moisten compost pile to speed decomposition
- Continue to check for pests and other problems and treat as necessary
- Mow lawns regularly to keep grass at 2-2½ in. height
- Leave grass clippings on lawn to improve availability of nitrogen
- Water lawns if there is less than 1 in. of rain per week
- Harvest cool-weather lettuce, radishes and scallions
- Begin to spray roses every week with baking soda solution* to protect against black spot disease
- Continue application of deer repellents
* Cornell University formula consists of : 3 tsp. baking soda, 2½ tbs. summer-weight horticultural oil, mixed with 1 gallon of water.
Planting:
- Complete moving self-sown annuals and perennials to desired location
- Sow seeds of fast-growing annuals like marigolds, zinnias, and cosmos directly in the garden
- Sow seeds of heat-tolerant vegetables
- Continue to plant and transplant perennials, weather and soil conditions permitting
- Finish planting summer annuals
- Complete planting summer-flowering bulbs such as cannas, gladiolas and dahlias
- Plant caladium and tuberous begonias in shady spots
Pruning/Fertilizing:
- Continue to prune all plant material to remove any diseased, dead, weak or crossing branches
- Complete pruning early spring-flowering shrubs
- Prune evergreens and evergreen hedges into early summer
- Continue deadheading roses
- Fertilize roses after peak bloom
- Complete fertilizing spring-flowering bulbs
- Fertilize annuals and container plants
- Fertilize vegetables