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Weeds – easier to pull when the soil is moist.
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Keep planting out annuals. Feed regularly with fertilizer and water well.
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Containers and hanging baskets dry out quickly.
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Divide German bearded irises after flowering – about every 3 years.
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Mulch lilies with compost or well-rotted manure.
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Prune back deciduous shrubs, such as Mock Orange, after flowering.
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Start taking shrub cuttings.
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Cut back suckers on lilacs and prune off faded flower heads.
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Keep newly planted hedges, trees and shrubs well watered. Even drought tolerant plants must be watered regularly for the first few years.
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Check for aphids, mildew and black spot on roses. Pick off and destroy diseased leaves.
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Mulching over the root zone helps keep the soil damp while suppressing weeds. Use well-rotted manure compost or other organic material. Peat moss dries out if used alone and wood chips steal nitrogen from the soil as they rot, so use extra fertilizer.
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Deadhead. Cutting off dead flowers helps prevent seed formation and keeps many herbaceous plants flowering longer.
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Variegated plants may produce branches that revert to their plain green forms. These grow strong and can take over if not removed.
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Hedges - clip. Do not cut coniferous hedges back too far as most will not regrow once green branch ends are removed. To keep such a hedge narrow, prune it a little every year.
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Keep looking for pests – weevils, aphids, caterpillars, etc.
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Fertilize roses after the June flush of bloom.
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Just as perennial delphiniums and lupins go to seed cut them right to the ground, thus encouraging clean new growth and a second set of blooms.
All peony flowers should be cut before they shatter and put in the garbage. The tissue could be infected with the fungal disease Botrytis.
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Delphinium.
May give a second show – deadhead after initial blooming, and cut back stems by two thirds. It’s a good idea to provide an extra top dressing of compost or manure as compensation for this overtime work.
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Asters.
Cut back by one third when plants are about a half metre high. This will build strong sturdy stems and prevent your plants from falling over when blooming in the fall.
