Best time to garden now is early morning with sun block, wide brimmed hat, long sleeved cotton shirt and pants for maximum comfort.
And drink lots of cold water before you need it.

See Summer Flower Ideas

 

W A T E R
Water lawns and planted areas two to three times a week in the morning for less wind and evaporation as night watering can lead to fungal problems. It’s better to water deeply occasionally rather than light sprinklings often. Plants do best with a good soaking and then let the soil dry out a bit. Grass can steal water from trees so water them individually. Leave soaker hose at tree’s dripline for several hours. Hand water dry spots, annuals and newly planted areas.
Watch for any standing water around your landscape because it provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Check rain gutters, tree hollows, etc.

M U L C H
Mulch keeps moisture in, weeds down and moderates soil temperatures. We recommend a depth of 3 to 4 inches of shredded hardwood mulch or cypress mulch. Keep mulch away from tree trunks to prevent disease from constant moisture.

M O W
Always mow dry grass as wet tends to tear and it can clog your mower. Wear sturdy shoes and eye protection.
Use a mulching lawnmower to let clippings fall back into the grass to nourish the soil. Mow once a week except for Buffalo which can be mowed as needed. Cutting more than one-third height of lawn at any one time can lead to heat stress in sunny areas while shady areas need only one-fourth cut off. It’s also a good idea to raise the height of your mower as much as possible when it’s hot and dry which will leave the grass taller allowing for more moisture retention of the soil. Check lawn mower blade as stringy, ragged grass ends may indicate a dull blade that makes for an unattractive appearance especially on Zoysia grass. Check spark plugs, change the oil, clean the air filter and check the fins on the engine cooling fan too. If you find your mower is difficult to start, it may be old leftover gas that has collected moisture.

W E E D
Weed all beds, roots and all, as soon as they appear. We like to weed after watering so they come out easier. The best prevention for weeds is watering, fertilizing, mulching and turning (cultivating) the soil. It’s better to pull them out manually rather than relying on herbicides because it’s healthier for us and the environment.

I R R I G A T I O N
Inspect your system for leaks and correct positioning for best coverage. You might also want to add a moisture sensor to your system which prevents your system from watering if a pre-determined amount of rain has recently fallen.

F L O W E R S
Fertilize flowers around the 3rd week.
Marigolds are good heat tolerant plants. (Gold and these yellow beauties interested the explorer Hernando Cortez so much that he named them Mary’s Gold originally.) Best time to plant them in late August for bloom shows in September and October.
Roses can be selectively pick pruned and then fertilized in late August for the last time this year with a slow release fertilizer with a high level of phosphorous which promotes root growth, larger blooms and disease defense.
To revive fading caladiums, discontinue water or fertilizing for about 2 weeks then apply one tablespoon of 5-10-10 fertilizer per sq ft and well thoroughly.
Stop pinching back the mums now so the buds can get ready for a fall display.
Asters in sun and daylilies needing 6 hours of sun a day can be added to the garden now.
Towards the end of the month you can begin planting wildflower seeds.
Make sure your container plants are watered, fertilized and in the right sun or shade spot.

See Summer Flower Ideas

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 or insecticidal soap spray although lady bugs and lacewings are even better. Direct spray upward from beneath the plant or you’ll miss most of these pests. Products to control pests are numerous so choose the lowest toxicity and the right blend for your particular pest problem.

T R E E S   A N D   S H R U B S
Don’t prune or trim off the lower branches of newly planted trees. It’s better to let young trees become established before you remove any limbs.
Trees planted within the last 12 to 18 months need special attention and should be hand watered every 5 to 7 day unless it rains.
The best place to water trees is its dripline which is the ground under the outer tips of the limbs where all the feeder roots are located. A soaker hose left for hours in this spot will help your trees be healthy.
Prune back salvia greggi by one-third to encourage blooms and keep at a manageable size.
If powdery mildew or black spot has appeared on the leaves of your shrubs or small trees, try using neem oil or potassium bicarbonate.
Crape myrtles planted in shade have this problem and should be transplanted to a sunnier spot when they are dormant during the winter.
Wasps eliminate fall webworms so leave their nests alone unless they are a real problem.
Don’t trim Glossy Abelia but enjoy their flowers and natural weeping habit.

G R O U N D C O V E R S 
Keep well watered. Use lawn mowers or weed eaters to trim.

L A W N S 
Wait until October to apply your fall fertilizer. Thoroughly soaking your lawn and the ground beneath with four to six inches of water will encourage deeper root systems which will then require less waterings.
Thoroughly soaking your lawn and the ground beneath with four to six inches of water will encourage deeper root systems.
Chinch bugs usually appear in sunny areas next to a drive, curb or other masonry structure. Over watering and over fertilizing may make your turf more susceptible to chinch bugs but there are several insecticides available. Treat just the infected areas and not your whole lawn.
Dig weeds out, roots and all, as soon as they appear. Keeping your lawn fed, watered and mowed can also help limit weeds.
This is the last month to seed Bermuda grass lawns until next April. Be sure and water well.
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.