What to Do in the Garden in July

In the garden, July is a month with a split personality: We look back wistfully (at the successes of spring) and forward with trepidation (can this garden be saved, to withstand the heat that’s ahead).

Here are a few quick garden fixes that will pay off next month (and in September).

Clean up the strawberry patch.

After you’ve picked the last strawberry from your plants, it’s time to cut back brown or drooping leaves. Weed between plants and mulch with an inch or two of compost. Now it the time to thin or transplant strawberries; carefully dig up runners as well as roots to move a clump to a new spot.

For more growing tips, see Strawberries: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design.

Deadhead.

Hone your deadheading technique: See Landscaping 101: How to Deadhead Flowers.

Give your tomatoes some TLC.

I never met a tomato plant that didn’t perform better with a little coddling. Pinch back suckers to help them focus their fruiting efforts. Make sure tomatoes get enough water (from a drip irrigation system or a hose, every day).  See more tips at Homegrown Heroes: 7 Tips for Growing Perfect Tomatoes.

Cut back spent flowers.

Many flowering spikes—from penstemons to foxgloves to gladiolas—have finished flowering by now. Or have they? When you cut back spent blossoms, check to see if any lateral spikes are growing from the spikes. If so, leave them in place to encourage more blooms.

Add annuals.

Many of our favorite flowers are annuals that cheerfully take on the job of adding color to the garden just as summer perennials start to flag in August’s heat. With bright blooms and attention-grabbing flowers, these fast growers can make you love your garden in late summer. (And many annuals will live on by resowing themselves, with seeds carried on a breeze to pop up in a new spot next year.

For more ideas, see Everything You Need to Know About Cottage Gardens and browse our curated design guides Annuals 101 for tips to grow Sunflowers, Nasturtiums, and Zinnias.

Help your hydrangeas.

Do you wish your pink hydrangeas were blue, or vice versa? You can take control of their color destiny by amending the soil. For tips see Hydrangeas: How to Change Color from Pink to Blue.

Keep weeding.

Don’t let the weeds win. If you need a new weapon to inspire you during the doldrums of summer, see a few of our favorites in 10 Easy Pieces: Weeding Forks and Tips and Tools: Are You Weeding Correctly?

Prune fruit trees.

Prune spring-flowering fruit trees in summer when spores of silver leaf disease are dormant.

For more tips, see Everything You Need to Know About Flowering Trees.

Fill bird baths.

Water evaporates faster in hotter temperatures. Replenish bird baths as needed. See Everything You Need to Know About Fountains.10 Things Nobody Tells You About Bird Baths for more tips.

Cut back wisteria.

Wisteria, if unchecked, will behave like a thug, says our friend Tim Callis, a garden designer on Cape Cod. He recommends shearing several times a year. In summer, cut back long shoots and stems to no more than six leaves.

Water if needed.

Gardens like an inch of rain a week. Is yours getting enough? Use a Rainwater Calculator to figure it out, and if your plants need more, irrigate accordingly.

Automate your irrigation system with Hardware 101: Smart Irrigation Controllers. And if you need to upgrade or repair your irrigation, see Drip Irrigation: Emergency Repair Kit Essentials.

Don’t mow low.

In hot, dry months keep your lawn looking green by allowing blades of grass to grow longer; a crew cut will create brown spots. For more reasons to mow high (and less), see The Lazy Lawn: 7 Tips for a Slow Mow Summer.

N.B.: This post has been updated with new links; it was first published July 2015.

Are you planning a major overhaul or a minor rehab in the garden? Get inspiration from our Garden Design 101 guides and see:

• 10 Things Your Landscape Architect Wishes You Knew (But Is Too Polite to Tell You)
• Landscaping: 10 Clever Gardening Tips to Save Time
• Landscaping 101: Biodynamics for the Edible Garden