MAY through AUGUST
General Growing Season Gardening Jobs
- Watering is one of the 2 primary tasks for gardeners from May until it cools down in the fall, especially if you want plants you've bought or moved this spring to survive their first summer. Plants in pots and hanging baskets require frequent watering, often daily, plus fertilizer twice a month until mid-summer. And it's the duty of every gardener to notice rainfall or the lack thereof and water during periods of sustained drought. But don't be fooled by those worthless thunderstorms; only rains that soak the ground count.
-Weeding is the other primary gardening task during the growing season. If you mulched last month like we told you to the job will be easier, but there's no way around it - to garden is to weed. Keep on top of it and make sure to remove them before they set seed. And weeding is easier to do when the ground is wet.
- Shrubs
- Prune azaleas after flowering if they're too large.
- Deadhead spent rhododendron blossoms to promote next year's flowering, pinching them off at their base and being careful not to damage the emerging new growth.
- Deadhead spent lilacs, likewise to promote next year's flowering.
- Annuals Annuals should be planted outdoors after May 1, our latest average frost day. Feed with liquid fertilizers twice a month through the season.
- Perennials
Cut down late-blooming perennials by half for denser flowering, shorter height, prevention of flopping or the need to stake. Likely candidates are: asters, sedum 'Autumn Joy' in less than full sun, purple coneflowers, mums, obedient plant, salvia and campanula. Do this once more around Memorial Day, but definitely no later than July 4. Mums are often cut back three times in total between early May and early July.
- Lawns
Set your mower to 3-4 inches, the higher the better, and cut frequently enough so that no more than 1/3 of the blade is cut at each mowing, for better turf health.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER
- Fertilizer, fungicides and insecticides Don’t apply them during the dog days (over 80 degrees) - it could do more harm than good. And whatever the temperature, don’t apply them to plants stressed by lack of water, so you may need to water thoroughly first.
- Watering Spring-blooming woody plants are setting seed now, so make sure they’re watered. And by late August, most plants are storing water for the winter and benefit from weekly watering (deep watering at the base of the plant). Any perennial planted this year needs weekly watering in August and through the fall, as well.
- On vacation? Move pots to a shady spot, and get someone to water them while you’re gonePlanting: In August, wait out the 90-degree spells before planting, and waiting for a cloudy day is best, or at least do the work in the evening. Water well and check at least twice weekly for water needs, even if they plants are famously drought-tolerant.
- Lawn Care August 15-October 15 is the ideal time to seed lawn in our area. Unless you’ve added lime in the last 3 years or a test confirms your soil doesn’t need it, apply lime first with an organic fertilizer, then seed.
- General.
- Late August is a good time to dig and divide daylilies and irises.
- Whole Garden - September is the best time to assess your whole garden for changes and additions.
- Fall Clean-up can start in September by cutting off flower stalks and ugly or diseased foliage. Leave seedheads on black-eyed-susans for the goldfinches.
- Fall Annuals: Late September into October is a good time to buy pansies and mums, which both need at least a half day sun (and mums benefit from more than that.) Violas are fine with less than ½ day, by the way.
