Keep Your Late Summer Garden Going Strong -Gardeners Path
06.06.2023 - 19:44
/ gardenerspath.com
/ Lynne Jaques
Tips to Keep Your Late Summer Garden Going Strong What Your Garden Needs Now
As the growing season winds down in the temperate zones of the US, gardeners have their work cut out for them. Flower and vegetable gardens alike have mature plants that have become scraggly and leggy with brown leaves, an overwhelming array of dead flower heads…the list goes on.
How can you begin to tame this jungle and get things back in shape?
Perennials
Most blooming perennials have finished their first bloom period and are getting ragged-looking by now. This is a good time to trim the plants back by about half. Remove dead stems, leaves, and spent flowers.
If you do this about late July, most perennials will have time to bloom again, sometimes giving a better display than the first round. A final dose of fertilizer now will perk up most plants and strengthen them for the winter.
You can also choose varieties that time the bulk of their blooms for the late summer and early fall.
Perennials should not be fertilized later in the fall, because they are moving into dormancy.
Herb Garden
Leggy herbs should be trimmed back now as well. Dry or freeze the trimmings from your herbs, so nothing goes to waste. A mid-season trim for some perennial herbs is the perfect way to reshape them. This is also a good time to root cuttings and start new plants. More plants! What a great way to tame that overgrown look.
Annuals
Many annuals are just reaching their prime blooming period. Keep them deadheaded, and they will continue to give you flowers for a few more weeks.
Another fertilizer application will give them the boost they need, especially if the weather has been hot and harsh. Be sure everything is well watered. Check for insect damage, and use appropriate organic