Tasks
- Inspect trees for die-back and weak limbs, which are common in drought-stressed plants, and remove them before they become a safety hazard.
- Leave frost-damaged growth on tender plants as protection until the danger of frost is past. Begin pruning as new growth emerges.
- Keep fallen camellia petals picked up to avoid petal blight.
Pruning
- Finish deciduous pruning. Chip debris for mulch.
- Wait to prune spring-flowering shrubs until after they bloom.
- Cut back scented geraniums to 18 inches.
Fertilizing
- Fertilize blooming ornamentals such as camellias and azaleas that have finished blooming.
- Fertilize cool-season lawns late in the month if fall fertilization was missed.
Planting
- Add permanent plantings of non-deciduous and needle evergreens.
- Annuals: fibrous begonia, twinspur (Diascia).
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: autumn crocus.
- Fruits and vegetables: cabbage, lemon grass (Cymbopogon).
- Perennials: Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia), wallflower (Erysimum), blanket flower (Gaillardia).
- Trees, shrubs, vines: bird of paradise bush (Caesalpinia), beautyberry (Callicarpa), bottlebrush (Callistemon).
Enjoy now
- Annuals and perennials: calendula, larkspur (Consolida).
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: daffodil, iris.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: dogwood (Cornus), forsythia, lemon.
- Fruits and vegetables: chives, fennel, kohlrabi, leek.
Things to ponder
- Water may be scarce again this summer. Limit new plantings of annuals and bedding plants, and consider converting part of your landscape watering system to drip irrigation.