4 Summer Landscaping Tips

Those Plant Ladies

Summertime is perfect for a visit to the beach because who can be outside without being near water in these hot summer months? Your plants are working hard too! Here are some things to keep in mind this summer as you’re looking at your lawn and landscape…

Water in the morning. Watering in the heat of the day wastes water since it won’t have time to soak into the soil for the plants to absorb before it evaporates. Waiting until later in the evening increases the chances of disease getting ahold of your plants as the moisture may sit on the leaves overnight. If you struggle just to get out the door in the morning, grab one of these wifi timers so that you can set it to go off while you’re still in the bed! Now that’s what we call working smarter, not harder.

2. Don’t prune right now. Get rid of spent blooms and trim stray or dead branches as needed so that your landscape looks tidy but hold off on any big pruning jobs. You always want to abide by the 1/3 rule when pruning so that your plant is healthy and can recover but the summertime isn’t the best time to add even more stress to your plant. Save most pruning until the temps cool off in the fall.

3. Skip a mowing sesh if it’s dry. If it hasn’t rained recently, don’t hop on the lawn mower. Grass can be slow to recover from physical damage if there are drought conditions. The lawn will grow slower in drought so it won’t get out of control if you take a week off of mowing.

4. Wait to plant. Summer heat is hard on your little plant babies so if your area is regularly above 85 degrees, wait until it cools off before adding new plants to your landscape. Being transplanted and getting adjusted to a new home is stressful for plants so better to do that when they aren’t also facing high humidity, hot sunny days, and the peak of insect and disease pressures. We even follow this rule with our landscape installations and you can read all about it here.

Still have questions? Our Facebook Community Group is a great place to ask questions and get advice from us and over 1000 plant ladies!