A reminder this week: Don't forget to deadhead! Some flowers REALLY benefit from snipping off dead blooms: petunias, sweet williams, fringed bleeding heart, pansies, snapdragons, and columbines. Remove the old blossoms and seed heads. It makes a HUGE difference on whether they keep blooming!

Keep weeding! After a rain is the perfect time, they come up easier. Clear the debris to the compost pile or trash, don't be tempted to leave anything laying. The bugs and slugs are in full force now and anything left on the soil gives them places to hide and multiply (except crushed eggshells which they hate!). While this isn't one of the most enjoyable parts of gardening it's important. What I do is make it a "quiet time" for myself first thing in the morning or early evening. I use an empty ice cream bucket, my garden shears and head out to the beds to snip and clean. Do this as often as you like, but at least once a week.

Weeding and deadheading are the two most important chores you can do to keep a neat garden, but here are some more tips for particular plants and flowers:

-Snapdragons will be forming round seedheads-they are easy to spot because they have a little "antenna" like stem coming out of the top and are in clusters. Snip these off and you'll soon have a new set of blooms!

-Pinch the centers out of your mum and aster plants. Just use your finger or garden shears and snip the center out and any buds. Do this now, and then leave them be for the remainder of the summer. This will help them bush out and look better for the fall blooms.

-Refresh your mulch and use a pitch fork or rake to stir it up a bit. I was just reading of a couple of types of fungi that can grow in certain mulches--but stirring them up allows the air to circulate and may help.

-Your houseplants are safe to take outside, but remember to keep them out of the direct sun, and water well. If you haven't repotted any that need it, do so now.

-A note on watering...it's better for the plants and lawn to water less often but deeply when you do. Some of you may not even need to water extra as you are getting too much rain! I hope you get a break soon. If you have drought conditions use thick mulch and water when you can.

Remember, many plants and flowers don't respond well to sprinklers--it can even cause rot and mildew. As a general rule it's better to water well in the morning, and not in the evening. Container plants may need two or even three waterings for hanging plants if it's extremely hot and/or windy.

MORE TIPS: How to handle cats in the garden!
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/cats.html
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Enjoy your garden today! ~Brenda

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