It’s summertime.
Go ahead, sit back, put your feet up, and admire your garden.
That was good for a few minutes. Now, to regain a little control and sanity, it’s time for triage: Decide what is vital and let the rest go.
Whether the garden likes it or not, you laid down your terms. Hey, where is it going to go anyway?
Now let’s get to the garden:
• Spray the garden with a deer-proofing spray. It’s not foolproof, but it shows you’re trying.
• Weed, weed, and weed. Pull them all. They make great compost.
• Install Japanese beetle pheromone traps. Empty them as needed. Apply Milky Spore to lawns to naturally eradicate those pests.
• Handpick pests whenever possible.
• Remove Hollyhock yellowing leaves and maintain plenty of air and sun around the plants to reduce rust.
• Keep harvesting greens. Work those wily tomato vines back into hoops, and remove all fading lower leaves. Plant more radishes, bush beans, Swiss chard, and greens.
• Cut peonies by half and then fertilize.
• Deadhead early-blooming faded perennials — like salvia, Stella D’oro daylilies, and catmint — to encourage repeat blooming.
• Forsythia, bridal wreath spirea, quince, lilac, and azaleas can still be pruned. This is your last chance, do it now!
• Water deeply and less often, but always early in the morning. This ensures most water reaches the plant roots and limits fungi and mold growth.
• Pots and hanging baskets need water more often, so do it early.
• Stake all plants as needed. Save those old broom handles for future stakes.
• Turn the compost pile, add to it, and use it.
• Check the lawn for grubs, chinch bugs, and sod webworms.
• Raise the mower deck. Sharpen mower blades after every eight hours of use.
• Avoid applying herbicides when temperatures are high. Postpone fertilizing except shrubs and perennials other than peonies until Labor Day.
• Water slowly. Soak the soil, not the leaves. Fungal and bacterial diseases spread easily when foliage is wet, especially on tomatoes.
• Deep watering promotes a strong root system that will anchor the plant. Oh, did I repeat that. Yes, it’s important.
• Conserve soil moisture by spreading a two-inch-thick layer of mulch over the plant root zone. Mulch insulates the soil, preventing big temperature swings. It keeps weeds at bay and slows soil moisture evaporation. Shredded bark mulch and weed-free grass clippings are good options.
Don’t despair — gardening isn’t all toil. Cleomes, cosmos, Japanese anemones, and ornamental grasses are starting to show their charm; they are deer resistant, too. Deer resistant, not deer proof. So, when you repeat deer-proof spray, include them.
Peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, bush beans, and greens are there for you to enjoy. Push through the July heat, focusing on essential tasks.
Remember, you set the terms for your garden. They heard you, snapped to attention, and are doing their best to impress.
