Mulch keeps water from
evaporating quickly, so you
water plants less often.

Watering -- Watering chores are what will eat up your garden time this month. As always, water deeply and occasionally rather than shallow and often.

Watering

• If mature plants are flopping, tie them up or use plant supports or stakes (criss-crossed like an X with ends inserted in the soil) to keep them upright and to prevent them from smothering neighboring plants.

USDA Zone Maps -- Halt fertilizing of roses in Zones 5, 6, and 7. It will encourage tender new growth that will get zapped this winter. Continue to fertilize roses in warmer regions.

USDA Zone Maps

• If an annual flower or vegetable is struggling, at this point, just pull it up and pitch it.
• If a perennial is sickly or looking otherwise awful, cut it back to just a few inches. It will come back this year or next spring with healthier growth.
• If your lawn is turning brown, it's probably because it's gone dormant. You have two choices: Allow it to continue in its dormancy by not watering, or bring it out of dormancy with good, regular waterings. The one thing you won't want to do is to bring it out of dormancy repeatedly -- a very stressful situation for turf grass. If you're going to water, keep up with the watering.
• Continue to mow regularly, your best defense against weeds. If you haven't already, make sure you're mowing grass high -- not making it too short and "scalping" it, which damages the grass and opens up areas for weeds to germinate. Bluegrasses, for example, should be cut at 3 inches during hot weather.
• Avoid pruning evergreens when it's so hot. And pruning them in the fall will encourage fresh new growth that may get nipped by winter's cold. It's best at this point to wait until next spring.

Water When You're Away -- Going on vacation? Check out our great tips for keeping houseplants watered even when you're not there!

Water When You're Away

Harvesting Vegetables -- Keep up with the harvest from your vegetable garden. Be sure to pick small and often. Tiny filet green beans, for example, need picking daily. Corn is ready when the tassels start to turn brown and a kernel, when pierced with a thumbnail, runs barely milky.

Harvesting Vegetables

• Container plantings can need watering as often as twice a day in hot, windy weather.

Mulch Matters -- You may need to replenish mulches, especially those that break down quickly, such as straw or grass clippings. Mulches should be 1-3 inches.

Mulch Matters

Whack Your Weeds -- Time weeding for after a good rain. Weeds come out easier and with more of the root.

Whack Your Weeds

Deadheading 101 -- Keep deadheading! For the most flowers and tidiest garden, deadhead daily.

Deadheading 101

• Keep an eye out for aphids and spider mites. Treat with insecticidal soap. Spider mites, which also thrive in dry weather, can be treated with pyrethrums, an extract from mums.