Follow these practices and you’ll have a beautiful landscape even in the warmest months — and be the envy of all your neighbors.
Sun, wind, and heat can be brutal to unsuspecting landscapes. Now is the time to tackle a few simple tasks to help it weather the inevitable scorching temps.
We have had some excellent rainfall this month, but if we go a couple of weeks without precipitation, you’ll probably need to water grassy areas. (Of course, if you’ve used our landscape or patioscape coupons, there’s less turf than last year.) Either way, always follow our weekly watering advice and only water areas that need it.
Insect populations are at their peak now, but remember, not all bugs are bad bugs so be careful what pesticides you use. You do want to keep the good bugs in your garden. Keep the lawn mower blades sharpened as the lawn will likely require weekly mowing to reduce weeds.
Also, now is a good time to exchange cold weather annuals for warm season annuals (if you haven’t already done so). Use pentas, periwinkles, purslane and zinnias for blooms all summer long.
Perennial plants such as crape myrtle are likely very showy right now — keep them that way by deadheading any spent flowers to keep them blooming. Consider planting a new bed in your garden with hardy drought tolerant plants that can survive the summer with little or no water. Now is the perfect time because you can apply for the landscape coupons and nurseries are finally restocking inventory.
As always, check out our plan and design section for ideas and inspiration. You can also visit the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s WaterSaver Garden to get ideas on plants that can survive our blazing hot summers. Any time you plant, remember to add a two-inch layer of mulch to help conserve water and prevent weeds.
