Garden maintenance for the summer months
Taking care of fresh flowers from your local florist is much easier than keeping your garden happy in the summer season. All a freshly cut bouquet will need is fresh water, cut stems, and away from direct sunlight and wind. When it comes to garden maintenance, you’ll need to pay a little more attention to environmental conditions to ensure they flower even when temperatures rise.
Regular watering
The first thing to consider is the amount of rain your area receives during the summer. If rainfall is low, you should start by setting up your garden with some type of irrigation system. No need to spend a small fortune. All you really need is a perforated pipe with a timer if you will. You can also keep the soil from drying out and protect the hose from the sun’s ultraviolet rays by covering the soil with mulch. You should also make sure that the hoses reach the trees in your garden. You need enough mulch around the garden, but not too much that it hinders ground cover or shrub growth. Appropriate watering based on weather conditions is a vital part of proper garden maintenance.
Monitor your plants
Keep an eye on all your plants and be prepared to pay attention to every inch of your garden every day. If you are growing any type of iris in your garden, you should look for the pods. These pods must be removed to encourage the plant to focus its energy on growth rather than seed production. If dahlias call your garden home, you should avoid cutting them too short. Abrupt pruning can slow plant growth. Choosing the right plants for your property will make garden maintenance that much easier.
Watch for disease
Roses are susceptible to diseases such as black spot. If you notice this problem occurring, you should cut back the affected areas of the plant immediately to prevent it from spreading. Wilted hydrangeas should also be pruned to make them lighter and more upright. These flowers tend to wilt under their weight, so trimming them will help keep them happier. You should watch out for mold, and if your garden develops that problem, you should spray your plants with a mixture of water and milk to act as a preventative measure when it comes to regular garden maintenance.
Potted plants
Potted plants and flowers are great because you can move them around your garden all year round. So when the weather gets too hot in some parts, you can move them to cooler places or vice versa. Your garden maintenance for summer usually involves moving pots outside for a few months before moving them back inside for the winter.
Repel pests
Regardless of the season, it is always extremely important to keep pests at bay. You can use natural options or solutions sold at your local nursery whichever you prefer. If you have small children or pets, you may want to choose companion planting as a means of keeping pests away.
As you can see, proper garden maintenance requires that you take the right steps to prevent problems. Prevention is always easier than a cure. Diseased plants or an infestation of pests can be difficult to get back under control which is why it’s important to research any possible threats to your plants before you plant them. Sufficient research will ensure that you know what to look out for.