Monthly Bodacious Garden Tips - 2018
April
- Apply fertilizer to all of your shrubs and trees. We recommend using a slow release fertilizer such as 10-20-20.
- Spray dormant oil on your shrubs and trees.
May
- Don't be in a hurry to prune out frost damaged branches from your shrubs and trees - many of these branches will re-leaf.
- Wait until threat of frost is gone to plant annuals.
- Watch for Gypsy Moths - Spray with Sevin.
- Watch for Sawflies on Mugo pines, Austrian pines, and any other hard needle pines. They look like very small worms. Also spray with Sevin.
June
- Keep deadheading your Knockout Roses and perennials to get more blooms.
- Salvia and Coreopsis provide a great second bloom after deadheading.
- Spray insect and disease control on your roses and ornamentals.
- Fertilize annuals, perennials, and hanging baskets with MiracleGro.
July
- Now is the time when powdery mildew begins to set in on your perennials and shrubs, particularly bee balm, lilac, roses, and even annuals. Treat with a rose and flower fungicide.
- From now on and through the rest of the year it is best to use a liquid based fertilizer, such at Miracle-Gro, for your perennials, annuals, and hanging baskets.
- On your reblooming daylilies make sure to cut spent blooms all the way down to the stock.
August
- Now is a good time to plan for fall color in your garden. We have lots of perennial color this time of year.
- Continue to deadhead your plants.
- Watch for Japanese beetles - spray with Seven.
- Watch for powdery mildew on roses and shrubs. Spray with a rose and flower fungicide.
Sept
- Get your extra large, hardy mums at Rave's.
- Apply grub control to your lawn if you've had a lot of beetle activity over the summer.
- Continue to deadhead your plants.
October
- Apply a granular fertilizer, such as 10-10-10 or 5-10-5, to your shrubs and trees. Always follow package directions.
- Trim your shrubs and trees. Take out any crossing or rubbing branches on your trees. See our Pruning Guidelines
November
- Cut back your perennials and roses. Perennials can be cut back to the ground. Knockout roses cut back to about 12-15".
- Apply an anti-desiccant, such as Wilt-Pruf, to your broadleaf evergreens. This helps reduce winter burn, whereby the plant loses too much moisture over winter from the cold winter winds and plant tissue can become damaged.
- Apply deer repellant.