Maintaining Your Landscape

Maintaining your garden.

Penstemon 'Elfin Pink'
Item # 75718 		Penstemon barbatus 'Elfin Pink'
Elfin Pink Penstemon

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
  • Topic: Summer Care
  • Author: Mary Ann Walz
  • Keywords: maintain, maintanance, deadheading, garden care, Design Tip #8 -- Maintaining Your Landscape, Design Tip #8 -- Maintaining Your Landscape, Maintenance, gardens
  • Date: August 2005

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Late summer is that time when parts of the garden often start looking a bit bedraggled. Following are a few things that can be done to spruce up the appearance and help your garden look its best.

Deadheading—Cut off spent blossoms to tidy up the appearance of plants. This often leads to additional blooms in a few weeks.

Mulching—Replenish mulch in areas that have worn thin or don’t have any. This helps retain moisture, keeps the ground at a more constant temperature, and gives you a jump-start on preparation for winter.

Dividing—Some perennials can be divided now into early fall. Use a handful of Yum Yum Mix when replanting. Give extra divisions to friends or check with Habitat for Humanity to see if they need plants for any of their homes.

Watering—As the days become a bit cooler and plants are established, you may be able to cut back on the watering a little, especially if our monsoon season actually arrives.

Fertilizer—A light dressing with a balanced organic fertilizer is appropriate for August. Don’t use anything that is high in nitrogen in late summer as it will create too much new growth

Planning for Fall Planting—Late August through early October is a great time to plant tress, shrubs and many perennials. Examine your landscape to see where additional plants would look nice or if there is anything that needs to be replaced. Make a list of your needs for fall shopping.

All of these tasks are pretty easy and will give your garden a tidier look during the waning days of summer.