July Gardening Tips for the Mountain West and High Plains
Snip faded flowers on perennials. Remove entire flower stalks if all blooms have faded, cutting back to foliage level. This encourages more flower buds to form.
Shear spent catmint, candytuft, and golden alyssum to promote fall flowering. Cut plants back to 6 inches.
Feed roses around the middle of the month to coax the next flush of flowers.
Annuals in pots will stage a strong flower show when you give plants bloom booster fertilizer every 10 to 14 days.
Stop pinching mums by July 4.
Reduce height on tall perennials by cutting plants back by one-third around July 4. Candidates for this treatment include goldenrod, aster, and joe-pye weed.
Continue to insert stakes to support tall stems.
Use nicely branched sticks for a natural-looking support that truly disappears among foliage.
Test Garden Tip: Finish pruning spring-flowering shrubs by mid-month. If you prune later than that, you could be removing next year's flower buds.
Continued on page 4: The July Vegetable Garden
Related Links
