It’s Garden Planning Time! Use These Ideas From Project Beautiful Bloggers For Your Summer Gardens.

• Your summer flowering annuals may be looking a little “tired” right now. You can revitalize them by cutting their foliage back by about half and then fertilizing them. In 2 weeks there will be new growth and plenty of new blooms!

• Deadhead your spring perennials, such as salvia and dianthus, to promote a second bloom in summer. As your summer blooming perennials (such as Daylily, Echinacea, and Rudbeckia) finish their bloom later in July, repeat the process to prolong blooms into fall.

• Prune Knock Out, Carpet and Drift Roses after their first bloom cycle to maintain a compact and healthy plant and to promote more blooms. Feed with an organic phosphorus-based plant food to ensure the health and vitality of your plant.

• July is often a very hot month. Be kind to yourself and garden in the early morning or evening. Use the hot hours to kick back and read a good book. Remember to wear a good coverage hat and keep hydrated.

• Blossom-end rot of tomato and peppers occurs when soil moisture is uneven. Water when soils begin to dry; maintain a 2-3 inch layer of mulch.

• Remove infected leaves from Roses. Pick up fallen leaves. Continue fungicidal sprays as needed.

• Shear back spent annuals by a third.

• Focus on head and rain resistant flowers like: Coleus, Hibiscus, Portulaca, and Zinnias.

• Do a final pinching by mid-July, of fall blooming flowers like Mums and Asters.

• Start planning your fall garden.

Contributors: Blooming Secrets, A Guide To Northeastern Gardening, The Garden Frog, Our Good Life, Day To Day Adventures, Sensible Gardening, Gardening Chick, The Freshman Cook