Garden Tasks by Month | July in Zone 5
Dear Garden Diary,
Phew! Things are heating up.The sun's really been beating down, which means I've been running the garden sprinklers a lot. The plants love their cool drink of water. And I take the opportunity to do a little rain dance and cool off in the sprinklers myself.
Aah! The simple pleasures of life.
xoxo Pia
P.S.- Take a peek at what's blooming in my Perennial Garden in July
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| Wild strawberries and cat mint flowers |
What Tasks/ Chores to do in my Garden in July?
A Garden Maintenance Checklist for Zone 5
Water
☐ Water regularly to avoid losing plants to the heat. Keep an eye out for drooping plants. Water garden beds in the morning.
☐ Water outdoor container plants and hanging baskets daily. Drooping plants and dry soil is a clear indicator plants need watering.
☐ Water lawns once a week.
☐ Water newly planted trees, shrubs, perennial and roses every week. They should receive 1 inch of water/ week.
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| Here's a view of my lush, green July garden. See more pics of my July perennial garden here |
Lawn Care
☐ Water lawn once a week deeply to encourage strong roots that go deep. Lawns require about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.
- Set the sprinkler for 1 hour once a week or 30 minutes twice a week.
Weed and Mulch
Fertilize
☐ Fertilize container plants and hanging baskets. Be sure to water plants well before fertilizing. Avoid fertilizing in the heat of the day. Choose a cool evening to fertilize.
Rose Care
☐ Fertilize roses (beginning of each month June, July, August, September). See How and When to Fertilize Roses.
☐ Deadhead repeat flowering roses after they bloom. Cut back to the first set of five leaflets.
- See:How I Deadhead my New Dawn Climbing Roses
- How to Prune Miniature Roses and Knockout Roses for a Rebloom
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| My White Dawn Roses |
Identify Pests and Butterfly Caterpillars
Cut back/ Shear for a Second Bloom
☐ Cutback
or shear annuals and perennials that have completed their first blooms
and have fading flowers. This will promote new buds for a second bloom
in late summer. (geraniums, salvia, delphiniums, Coral bells, begonias)
Prune Shrubs and Hedges
☐ Prune and shape overgrown hedges and shrubs like redtwig dogwood, forsythia, burning bush. Deadhead and Pinch
☐ Deadhead day lilies soon after they have bloomed.
☐For
shorter, bushier plants with more buds, continue to pinch late summer
bloomers like chrysanthemums, asters until the middle of the month.
Enjoy!
☐ Sit outside every day and enjoy the garden. Consider having morning coffee in the garden and dining alfresco after sunset. String up lights, pipe music outside, hang up wind chimes, decorate the deck.
See: 10 Ideas for Creating a Gorgeous Deck
☐ Cut flowers from the garden and bring them into the house to arrange and enjoy for yourself.
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| Freshly cut flowers |
☐ Or try drying flowers and leaves and using them in unusual ways. Enjoy summer!
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| Dried hydrangea blossoms |