Summer Garden Chores for Prolific Flower Blooms

After a whirlwind of spring activity in the garden, summer is not the time to tip-toe through the tulips or stop and smell the roses. Not full-time anyway. Enjoy the blooms of your spring labor, but keep working in the garden during the summer to keep plants flourishing and flowers blooming.

Spring Bulb Foliage 

After the tulips, daffodils and other spring flowers have come and gone, they leave behind somewhat unsightly foliage that we want to mow down. Don't. Remove the flower stalks, but leave the foliage alone. These gangly leaves need full exposure to the sun for photosynthesis to occur and re-charge those underground bulbs for next spring's blooms. If the unsightly, yellowing foliage bothers you, plant perennials that bloom in late spring or early summer to camouflage the foliage.

Add 3-D Animation 

Bring your flower garden out of the 1 or 2 dimensional realm and into the 3-D realm by planting flowers that will attract butterflies, a.k.a flying flowers. Flowers that bare large flat blooms in bright colors are especially attractive to butterflies and will keep them fluttering around all summer. Zinnas, purple coneflowers, pentas, daisies, phlox and liatris are a few garden favorites that butterflies love to land on and provide 3-D animation to your garden.

Pinch the Plants 

To keep those plants you planted in the spring compact, well-shaped and blooming prolifically during the summer, give them a pinch. Pinch the tops out of flowers like chrysanthemums and marigolds to encourage side branches to develop and produce more blooms. Garden plants like tomatoes can be pinched back to keep them from out-growing their cages.

Pest Patrol 

Pests are in a full feeding frenzy during the summer and if you don't want them feasting on your flowers and vegetables conduct a daily pest patrol investigation. Half fill a cup with warm soapy water and do a walk-through of your garden, picking off pests and dropping them into the soapy water as you find them. Look for evidence of pest damage on leaves and treat any visible problems immediately with natural or chemical methods.

Add Mulch 

As soon as flowers are planted or seeds sprout, add a 3-4 inch layer of organic mulch around the plant to retain soil moisture and prevent weed growth. Replenish the mulch near summer's end if needed.