The main things that need to be done in July are watering, dead heading, weeding, pest management and harvesting vegetables.
• Ornamentals: Cut back cannas for continuing bloom. Remove spent flowers and a new flower cluster will appear from the stalk.
When the second cluster has bloomed, cut the stalk, leaving some leaves. New canes will produce more buds and keep flowers going all summer.
Continue to deadhead all perennials and annuals to keep them blooming.
Prune roses by one-third now for more beautiful blooms this fall. Pinch or cut back mums and asters for the last time so they will have time to set buds for fall bloom. Sew seeds of annuals such as zinnias now to replace fading plants.
It’s time for the last planting of gladiolus. Plant red spider lilies and surprise lilies (Naked Ladies) for flowers this fall. Divide and replant bearded irises now. Trim seedpods off crepe myrtles to keep them blooming.
The crepe myrtles are just beautiful all over town now, especially the ones that have been pruned correctly. It’s also a good time to buy container-grown crepe myrtles at the nursery while you can see them in full bloom and get the color you want.
There are many varieties, so be sure to check to see how big they will get and plant one that won’t get too big for your site.
• Insects: Spider mites love hot, dry weather. Control them with a strong spray of water from the hose. Webworms are becoming abundant. Keep them picked off and destroyed.
The webs are small right now, but will get larger as the caterpillars add plant material and move the web along the branch to get to more food.
You will see them mostly on Juniper species, but I actually saw one on a crepe myrtle and one on a crabapple this week.
• Lawn: Summer weather is hard on grass. Mow frequently so you do not remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade at one time. Proper summer height for Bermuda is 2 inches. Keep the lawn mower blade sharp.
It makes for a nicer appearance and helps prevent diseases. Water early in the morning, water deeply and only water when necessary.
• Vegetable garden: Keep cucumbers well watered or they will become bitter and also attract cucumber beetles. It’s time to plant pumpkin and gourd seeds if you want to have them in time for Halloween.
Most slicing tomatoes will not set fruit when temperatures reach 90, but cherry tomatoes will usually continue to produce. Try a fall garden this year.
You can plant the following vegetable seeds around July 15 — beans, corn, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and carrots. You can also plant the following vegetable transplants — eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and cauliflower.
Happy gardening!
