• The warm days and long evenings of summer present the perfect opportunity to spend time in your garden and enjoy its beauty. A little bit of attention and some TLC will keep your gardens bursting with color and growth throughout the season. Here are some tips to ensure that your gardens continue to flourish:
  1. Watering: During long spells of hot and dry weather, give extra water to new plantings or those particularly susceptible to heat stress. It is crucial to provide adequate moisture to complement rainfall, especially for newly planted trees and shrubs. Containers and hanging baskets need water more frequently – sometimes twice daily.
  2. Watch for insect damage: Keep an eye out for insect damage throughout your garden. As soon as you notice any damage, collect a sample and bring it to Van Luyk’s for analysis. We are happy to suggest options that best suit your pest issue.
  3. Deadheading: Remove spent flowers throughout the season to keep your plants beautiful and inviting for butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects. Deadheading may also encourage another round of blooms.
  4. Weeding: Eliminating weeds as soon as they appear will pay off in the long run. Consider it as a therapeutic activity while enjoying the outdoors.
  5. Harvesting, mulching, and fertilizing: Harvest, mulch, and fertilize your herbs and vegetables. Then, harvest, mulch, and fertilize some more. Plant a second crop of lettuce or other cool-season vegetables in late July and August for more greens in the fall.

  For more helpful advice on keeping your lawn and gardens looking great all summer, visit our gardening advice page or ask our staff for assistance.

  waterings to new garden plantings or to those particularly susceptible to heat stress. Supplying adequate moisture to complement rainfall is critical, especially for newly planted trees and shrubs. Containers and hanging baskets need water more frequently – sometimes twice daily.

• Watch for insect damage throughout your garden. At the first sight of damage, collect a sample and bring it in to Van Luyk’s for analysis. We’re happy to suggest options to best suit your pest issue.

• Deadhead throughout the season to keep your plants beautiful and inviting for butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and beneficial insects. This may also encourage another round of blooms.

• Eliminating weeds as soon as they appear will pay off in the long run. Think of it as a therapeutic activity while you enjoy the outdoors.

• Harvest, mulch and fertilize your herbs and vegetables. Then harvest, mulch and fertilize some more. Plant a second crop of lettuce or other cool-season vegetables in late July and August for more greens in the fall.

Have a question? Visit our gardening advice pagefor an array of gardening information and tips or ask our staff for helpful advice to keep your lawn and gardens looking great all summer.