As the weather continues to warm, many chores in our home landscape still need to be done. Remember, there could be a lack of soil moisture later in the season and anything that you can do now to conserve water later will keep your plants healthy & your home showcase looking great. The following tips, should give you some ideas of things that you need to do, to keep everything growing strong.
- Letting a young lawn grow too tall before cutting it back to the recommended height is damaging. Extreme leaf removal stops the flow of food to the roots, weakens the plants, and opens the lawn to diseases. Never let it grow so tall that you have to cut off more than one third of the grass blade in a single mowing.
- Keep mulch several inches away from the trunks of trees and shrubs so air can circulate near the trunk discouraging diseases, and so that rodents will not feed on the bark.
- If you love to garden, but don’t have a lot of time, choose plants that are easy to maintain. Plants that do not need “deadheading” include begonia, impatiens, coleus, alyssum, ageratum, lobelia, vinca, and salvia.
- Pinch back annuals when 4 to 6 inches high to promote bushy growth. Some that require pinching are zinnias, petunias, and salvia.
- Prune rhododendrons immediately after flowering. Old clusters should be snapped off when partly dry, but remove with care in order not to decrease or prevent bloom next year.
- Poison ivy is annoying year round so keep it controlled in the landscape. You can get skin irritation from the leaves, roots, berries, and even smoke from burning the vines. Learn to know the leaves so you can guard against it – if you see three leaves, leave it be!
- Plant ground covers under shade trees that don’t allow enough sunlight to sustain grass. Periwinkle, English ivy, and liriope are a few ground cover plants that grow well in shade.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Brenda Jackson at Murray County Extension at 706-695-3031 or email bljack@uga.edu.