Garden Maintenance for the Heat of Late Summer

How to put your garden to rest for the season

Summers in the Southern Plains can be real scorcher . While gardeners in more northern climates are forced to remain their gardens totally for a recollective winter spell , those of us garden farther south eff that our gardens need a summertime break too . Our summertime gardening break tend to be short and less drastic than the wintertime break , but there are several thing we can do to help put our gardens to rest for that late summer passion .

Clean up

At this point , many plants have cease their showy season and are either dead ( annuals ) or have dried leaves , stalks , and flowers ( perennial ) that can be removed from the garden and compost . It ’s promiscuous to take out annuals and chuck them straight into the compost mint . For perennial such as big coneflower ( Rudbeckia maxima , Zones 5–9 ) , you may want to cut them back to rosettes ; for others , such as royal coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea , Zones 3–8 ) , you could deadhead them for continued late - summer blooms . Now is also a good fourth dimension to collect seed for next yr , since the seed heads are ironic and you ’re cleaning up anyway .

Mulch those beds

After you do your summer cleanup is a great time to mulch . A downlike 3 - inch bed of mulch helps preserve soil moisture , trim down filth temperatures , and forestall weeds . No gardener want to spend redundant prison term weeding when the temperature are near to 100 ° F ! While pebble , decomposed granite , and other inorganic materials can be used as mulch , it ’s the mulch made of constitutive stuff that will keep your summertime garden coolest ; shredded barque , folio mold , pine needles , and pecan Kingston-upon Hull are a few examples .

Check your irrigation and keep watering

If you have an irrigation system instal in your garden , take a few minutes to make certain all of the components are working by rights . Mistakes or malfunctions found at the pinnacle of summer usually result in accented or even dead plant life . If your organization normally runs at night , you may not be awake to witness leaking drip mould tubing or clogged sprinkler heads . Give the system a trial running game while you observe so that you could make reflexion and any necessary correction . Whether you have a complex irrigation system or a simple garden hosepipe with a spray nozzle , keep watering your plant through the late summer months . Even mostly dormant perennials may ask some additional piss besides rainfall .

Resist temptation

Every year I find myself wanting to implant some cool - atmospheric condition veggie in early September , but the truth is it ’s still too hot for them here in central Texas . verify your garden fever does n’t cause you to institute your fall garden too early . Even if the gamy temperatures do n’t kill your cool - atmospheric condition crop outright , they will sure as shooting put stress on them , which can lead to slow growth , pests , or disease . Resist the enticement , and wait just a little longer until summer is truly over .

Make observations

Late summer is a good time to make observations about what worked or did n’t process in your garden . Like winter , it ’s a time for observance , reflection , and planning . What species did especially well ? Did your irrigation setup work for you ? Did you have any pest problem ? It might be helpful to jot down a few notes , which you’re able to consult again in the leaping when your summertime garden blooms are just getting started as seedling . You ’ll have last summer ’s observations to help guide you .

— Karen Beaty is a horticulturalist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin , Texas .

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