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We're closing for the season on Saturday and I'll be busy planting "leftovers" that we opt not to winter over for next spring. Our summer gardening checklist is not as extensive as our fall checklist, since that's when we cut back all of our perennials and prepare beds for spring, but here a few chores scheduled for this season. 
Weeding in the gardens now helps prevent weeds from going to seed. I don't use herbicides in the gardens. Continue to plant shrubs and perennials. Water new plantings frequently so the roots don't dry out while they are getting established.
Perennials need to focus their energy on getting established the first year, so if you find newly planted perennials wilting between waterings, you may want to cut back/sacrifice some blooms and even foliage (it will be easier on you, and the plants) so they can expend their energy on setting new roots rather than sustaining a lot of top growth.
Watch for nutrient deficiency, especially iron. Our alkaline soil and high pH well-water can cause tip growth to yellow. While all plants increase uptake and nutrients leach more quickly as we water heavily through the heat of summer, evergreens, lawns, and roses are especially susceptible. Apply slow-release fertilizer and chelated iron as directed.
Bark mulch is a great way to: improve soil tilth, suppress weeds, and reduce water loss through evaporation. Unfortunately, it uses available nitrogen as it decomposes (carbon:nitrogen ratio). It is easier to topdress the soil with additional nutrients prior to planting and before the mulch is applied. If the bed is already in and the mulch is on, apply a slow-release, granulated, or liquid fertilizer over the entire bed and notably the plant's dripline. Avoid covering or even going directly up to the base or crown of the plants with the mulch.
Late in the season, after cutting back the perennials, I will topdress with compost, manure, and mulch to improve soil tilth. In this area, I find I have to get it while the getting's good so I have been shopping for bagged product now so I'll have it when I need it later. The same is true for peatmoss or any amendment that will be added to improve the soil.
The lawn is looking great and gets a weekly mowing. I mow when the grass is a full 5 inches. During the heat of summer it's important to avoid cutting the grass too short, so the mower is set at it's highest setting. In 1991 we installed a meter at our wellhead and have been tracking water use over the years.
Through June of this year, we used just under 15,000 gallons of water to maintain plants in the greenhouse, nursery, in the gardens on a developed acre, including 5,000 sq. ft. of lawn, and home use. Soaker hoses in the gardens keep water at the roots and reduce water loss through evaporation. We have 16 garden areas with soaker hoses that are scheduled for overnight soaking, every five days. Our 5,000 sq. ft. of lawn areas are scheduled for two-thirty minute cycles, three hours apart, that run at night, twice a week. We think that thorough watering is better than light, frequent watering and allows the plants to develop a root system best-suited for our climate. While temperatures are high, we will keep new plantings frequently watered until the root system becomes established. For shrubs and perennials, that includes the first several weeks. Programable timers can be used at the faucet to avoid overwatering. Keep an eye out for dry spots where sprayers or emitters may be clogged or not performing. Sometimes, the grass needs to be cut away from the heads so they pop up properly. Even when heads are working properly, dry spots do appear. I water small, dry spots with a hose sprinkler ocasionally. Better that than over-watering the entire lawn trying to compensate.
I have kept the outlying dry-grass areas of the landscape mowed. This greatly reduces fire hazard and the breeding and feeding grounds for newly hatched grasshoppers. I have applied a biological grasshoppper bait on the short, dry-grass areas. I can't stand fertilizing weeds, so I apply fertilizer after the beds are weeded. I use Osmocote in the gardens, lawn fertilizer (without weed killer added) on the lawn, and I use Ironite in the gardens, on the lawn, and on the evergreens. Soils and water in this area tend to have a high pH level making iron unavailable to the plants. Using Ironite provides plants with the iron they need for healthy growth.Time to take off the deer cages. We put them up at the end of summer to avoid damage while the deer are in rut. The damage comes, not from browsing, but from them scraping their antlers against the tree trunks. Some of them are so mangled, better them than the trees, that they will be tossed out. Once removed I can get to the grass and weeds growing at the base of the trees. Dried grass at the base of trees and shrubs increases the risk of fire in the landscape and is competition for water. I use the American Gardener SHR6 6-Inch trimmer that I bought through Amazon.com, a great product that I use almost everyday.
Prune suckers that form at the base of trees. Grafted trees will send out suckers just below the graft.
Deadhead spent flowers on the annuals and perennials. The plant uses valuable energy to promote seed development, energy that could be better spent making more flowers and increasing the overall vigor of the plant. I do leave some finished flowers on the perennials and biennials that re-seed nicely in the gardens.This is a great season for garden projects. Here are some I've worked on over the past few years.  This garden had become overrun with weeds and needed a defined edge. I wanted a fresh start, so I cutback back, then started cleaning out the bed. I use a spading fork rather than a shovel since it works better to lift out the roots; a tarp makes cleanup easier.  Once the bed was cleared out, it was ready for the edging.  Garden walls are easy to install since they are lightweight and stack nicely. The ground fabric was already in place and I made sure to have the bricks overlap. I use fabric rather than plastic as a weed barrier.  I amended the soil with several bags of compost, leveled it out, and was ready to plant the next day.  I decided to include roses with groundcovers at their base.  Another rejuvination project began with cutting back the rangeland grass that took over this garden; this isn't an ornamental grass, it's a thug.  My cordless shears work best to cutback grasses and other plants that were removed; again, I used a tarp to collect the cutback.  I watered the bed thoroughly after the grass was cutback, waited a day, and then went in with my spading fork to remove as many roots that I could. The soil was just right, not too wet or dry, and I was able to shake the soil off the roots and toss the discard onto the tarp.  I planted these groundcover Junipers the next day. I know some of the grass will make its way back into the garden, but atleast the groundcovers will get off to a good start. 
 The container gardens were beautiful through summer last year and made the deck and gazebo enjoyable places to sit and relax. Plastic containers are lightweight, durable, long-lasting, and hold water for the plants through the heat of summer. We have had great success with transplanting our hanging gardens and 12-14" colorbowls into 20"+ planters in early summer. The entire container is filled with water-retaining container mix that, along with the container, can be reused from year to year. I also reuse the hanging garden and colorbowl containers with transplants from packs and our 4" pots. 
Avoid the overwhelming task of taking on the entire landscape in one season. Divide the landscape into areas; some designers refer to these areas as rooms. Fully develop one area before moving onto the next.This approach applies to either established or undeveloped landscapes.Work with the natural configuration of the landscape. Use slopes and contours as transition points from one area to the next. These transition points can include a pathway or hedge that can lead to or divide different areas of the landscape.Avoid an over-reliance on any one planting. A well-designed landscape includes a balanced mix of trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Include underplantings and groundcovers that attract attention and add interest.
Have a plan. It can be sketched onto a napkin or precisely drawn to scale. You can do it yourself or have it professionally done, either way, it's a necessary start to a successful finish.More gardening advice on Marvel's Corner Yes, I know, you don't need more advice, you need somebody to go out and do it...me too. But after all, it's only work if you would rather be doing something else. Wondering about the 5 day forecast? Check out The National Weather Service Click the "Back" button to return to Colorscapes. We always appreciate your questions and comments. You can email us or contact us by phone at 753-5000 Mailing Address: 167 Pleasant Valley Rd. Unit 5 Spring Creek, NV 89815 Home Page Marvel's Corner In the Greenhouse Availability Perennials Availability Shrubs  |