July is a great month to get on top of your gardening and make sure you get the most out of your plants, including a second bloom from some perennials.

We’re always happy to do any gardening task for you, just send us an email with your requests. Steph, our lead gardener may also reach out to you to offer suggestions for your garden if you are on our regular maintenance list (picture of our lead gardener Steph above).

Here’s a breakdown of tasks to help you organize and prioritize what’s important to you:

Flower Maintenance, encourage a second bloom:

Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continuous blooming and maintain a tidy garden appearance.
Cut back perennials that have finished their first blooming period to potentially stimulate a second bloom. Some great rebloomers that require your attention: daylilies (Video Tutorial), cranesbill geranium, dianthus, delphinium ( Video Tutorial).

Stake any flopping plants, like annabel hydrangea that tend to droop after rain:

Check staked plants to ensure they have sufficient support.
Stake plants that need support.

Trim bushes

Shape bushes that have finished flowering like many spirea, to maintain shape and promote healthy growth.

Turf Care:

Keep your lawn green by applying an organic slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. We are happy to come by and do a treatment for you.
Water your lawn early in the morning to prevent wilting and reduce disease risk.
Pull out weeds like crabgrass before they seed and take over.

Weeding:

Make regular passes through your garden beds to remove weeds. Aim to catch them before they go to seed to minimize future weed growth.
Pay special attention to groundcovers to keep them tidy and encourage spreading.

Watering:

Ensure plants, especially those in containers, are well-watered, especially during hot summer months. Consider setting up an automated watering system if you’re going on vacation. A mechanical timer is also a great option, you can set your sprinkler for 20 mins and walk away!

Disease Prevention:

Keep your garden clean and promote air flow. Remove excess plant foliage that can lead to a congested humid environment where disease and mildew flourish.
Monitor for powdery mildew and other diseases, taking preventive measures as needed.

Mulching:

Top up mulch around plants to conserve soil moisture and suppress weed growth.

By breaking down your tasks into manageable steps, you can tackle each aspect of garden maintenance effectively. Happy gardening!