We recommend early morning gardening now with long pants, long sleeved shirts, hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves and lots of water.

See Summer Flower Ideas
 

F E R T I L I Z E
This is the second major fertilization of the year. Feed all planting areas, trees and all warm season grasses such as St. Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia and Buffalo. Use a 3-1-2- ratio mix of urea coated fertilizer for lawn areas. Use a balanced urea coated mix with iron such as 10-10-5 for planter beds. For more blooms on your Crape Myrtles use food with a high phosphorous content. Fertilize with liquid products weekly, granular products every 6 weeks and slow release products lasting even longer. Scatter evenly on the grass under trees and extend slightly beyond the dripline. A dripline in the ground area under the tree limbs’ outer tips and is also the feeder roots location. Always water thoroughly after fertilizing to avoid burnt plants. We also use Ironite to balance our alkaline soil. Fertilize Azaleas after they bloom now.
 

M U L C H
Mulching keeps moisture in and provides nutrients for your plants which keeps weeds down making your
landscape look great. We recommend a depth of 3 to 4 inches of shredded cypress or hardwood
mulch. Keep mulch away from the plant’s trunk to prevent root crown rot.

W E E D
Dig weeds out, roots and all, as soon as they appear. If you don’t get the root the first time, it will be waiting for you the next time. Keeping your lawn fed, watered and mowed can also help limit weeds. ‘Weed and Feed’ solutions are not recommended because they are not good for the environment and they might not do away with the type of weed you have.

P R U N E
Prune dead or diseased materials. Deadhead (remove faded flowers) annuals and perennials by pinching back old growth on newly planted annual and perennials plants to encourage branching with more flowers. You can tell if a plant is alive by scratching the bark of a limb or branch and see if it is green inside.

Fall Blooming Perennials
Trim back and lightly fertilize chrysanthemums, Mexican bush sage and other fall bloomers to form denser plants for this fall.  Pinch back old growth on newly planted annual and perennials plants to encourage side shoots. This will encourage branching with more flowers.

Shrubs
Cutting back branches or shoots on Salvias and Lantanas after a bloom cycle encourages more branching and flowers. Complete pruning of spring blooming shrubs after they have finished flowering such as azaleas, camellias, and spring blooming roses so they will have time to regrow and set buds in late summer for next year’s show.
Don’t prune summer flowering plants.

Trees
Wait to prune Oak trees until July or August when the beetle that transfers Oak Wilt disease is not active during those 100 degree temperature days. Don’t prune or trim off the lower branches of newly planted trees because they are trying to get established.
Crape Myrtles can be shaped but please don’t cut off their tops. Any branches not growing up and out or touching another can be removed. They also are susceptible to the white powdery mildew and black mold looking aphids. There are many products available to combat these problems.

Roses
Deadhead flowers back to just above the first leaf with 5 leaflets to keep them reblooming. Fertilize after trimming. Also remove any dead or weak branches. Water twice a week using a soaker hose or a drip irrigation system to avoid black spot on leaves which results from using a regular spray head. Fertilize every 4 to 6 weeks with small amounts of a complete fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. Spray when needed for insects, black spots on the leaves and powdery mildew.

P E S T S  A N D  P E S T I C I D E S
Mites and aphids can be discouraged with blasts of water. Direct spray upward from beneath the plant or you’ll miss most of these pests. Products to control pests and diseases are numerous so choose the lowest toxicity and the right blend for your particular pest problem.
Powdery mildew (soot like covering) can be found on Roses and Crape Myrtles due to high humidity possibly from too much shade as they are sun lovers. Look for less toxic products such as neem oil, sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate which will also work for black spot too.
Don’t worry if you see little round balls on tree leaves and twigs because these are galls produced by insects and don’t need any attention.
Use lighter weight horticultural oil on scale insects for your woody plants rather than the heavy dormant oil.

L A W N S
Check lawn mower blade as stringy, ragged grass ends may indicate a dull blade that makes for an unattractive appearance. Check spark plugs too. Use a mulch mower to return the clippings to the soil for more nutrition. Cut the lawn on regular basis so the clippings don’t get piled up. If they do, just run the mower over them again.
Mow St. Augustine and Bermuda once a week. Buffalo and Zoysia may be cut every 3 weeks or as needed. If you see brownish circles in sunny areas next to drives, curbs or other masonry structures in St. Augustine sod you’ve got chinch bugs which may be a result of too much water and fertilizer. They can be spot treated with insecticides and not the whole lawn.

Alternatives
If you don’t have the time or energy to keep up large expanses of turf, you might consider installing perennials beds, ground cover or walkways on parts of your lawn.