My Task List for the July Garden

The heat is on, and the big, black grasshoppers have come out of hiding. I worked very hard in May to find them as they hatched out and give them a huge, hearty helping of Sevin and/or malathion. Their numbers seem to be down a little this year, but it's early yet. Now that they have grown their wings, there's not much in the insecticide aisle that will kill them. I find that the bottom of my shoe works best.

After July 4th, when all the guests have left, and you have the garden to yourself again, it's time to cut back all the impatiens. This is always difficult for me to do because they are so tall and beautiful right now, but I've learned that if I wait, they get scraggly and leggy, and damaged by the hail storms we're having every afternoon. Cutting them back now produces a great, grand show in time for Labor Day, when all those guests that just left suddenly re-appear at your door. Hummmmmm.

Your roses will also benefit from a mid-summer pruning, as long as you keep it light and easy. Remove all the dead wood, any huge succers branching off the root stock, and any other branches that seem to make the bush look out-of-shape. Keep dead-heading spent flowers, and the bush will come into bloom again soon. After pruning, fertilize and water well.

In fact, remember to keep dead-heading all the re-blooming perinneals and annuals like daylilies, zinnias, marigolds, calendula, etc. If the annuals seem spent, now is a great time to add a second planting of these plants, which will carry the seasonal color well into the fall. Pinch back the mums now, but be sure to stop pinching by the last week in July - this will give them time to branch out and develop a spectacular display for October.

Now is the time to divide spring flowering plants like irises (not Louisianas), Shasta dasies, gaillardia, canna, early daylilies (finished blooming), liriope, and ajuga. Simply dig the clump up, cut it into two or more sections, making sure each section has a strong root system attached, and replant in the garden. Always be sure to share some with a friend!

Stop pruning all shrubs! Spring bloomers such as Azaleas are setting bud for next Spring, and you'll prune it off. For other shrubs, the pruning will cause the plant to put out new growth, which will be weak and tender when the first cold snap arrives in the fall. Hold off on all pruning of non-flowering shrubs until the dead of winter, when they're dormant. Spring flowering shrubs should only be pruned immediately after they have finished their bloom.

Keep up with the watering. Drought-resistant plants like hollies will still shed their berries under drought related stress - and you'll miss the color come Christmas. Take time now to plan for a nice shady spot for a new bird bath - then keep it clean and filled. Enjoy the wildlife in your garden this summer!