TheMondayGarden.com

PRUNING: Stop pruning the trees and shrubs. Deadwood and small amounts of green are OK. However, any serous pruning between now and early fall will cause the plant use its energy for new growth when it should be focusing on the intensive business of convert sun, water and CO2 into our energy, food, and shelter.

SHEARING: If you haven’t gotten around to it yet, cut back the asters, mums, Montauks, and other mid-to-late season flowering perennials that’ll get too tall if left to their own devices. Do this mid-May and again in late June. There’s a great book on shearing and deadheading perennials: The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust. Don’t forget to let some of the flowerheads go to seed for the birds.

MULCH: Make sure the garden’s carefully nestled its summer mulch. You know that mulch discourages the weeds, while keeping the ground cool and moist, and adding organic matter. Another words, it’s your best friend in the garden next to the (non-union) earthworms that till the mulch’s nutrients into the soil.

picture: White Flower Farm’s wonderful spring/fall blooming Japanese anemones happily mulched in my mother’s garden.

TRANSPLANTING: If you have any transplanting left, do it right now, this week. The plants need a good month to settle in before the heat. You can transplant later but you have to be very careful to get a good root ball, water well, and provide extra shade. Feel free, however, to transplant the bearded iris when they finish blooming – they like having their corms exposed in the heat – go figure. If you’re buying nursery stock, turn the plants out of the pot before you buy them. Check that they haven’t become overly root bound and that the roots are healthy white. Brown roots indicate damage.

WEEDING: Get em’ before they seed! For the BIG ones, try to not disturb ground as it encourages more new weeds – a net weed gain was presumably not your goal. You can cut the tops off a few times instead. Fortunately, the fun of weeding can be continued all summer.

LAWNS: Take a stand for the kids, pets, wildlife, and water supply (and save money)! Be the first in your neighborhood to proudly display a patchy, weedy, all-natural, no-chem, no-water turf.

LAWN FERTILIZERS: If fertilize you must, do it now or you’ll be encouraging growth when it’s too hot. However, first get your soil test (Issue 109) and make sure that you don’t have any active fungus problems (fertilizer makes them worse). Then remember that generally all you’ll need is nitrogen – the other two “macro- nutrients” phosphorus and potassium -- can easily over-accumulate and cause all kinds of trouble. Also, note that if you’re leaving the clippings on the lawn and have some clover, you only need about a third of the nitrogen recommended. Use a slow release (non water-soluble) “organic”; the cheaper chemical brands tend to end up in the water supply with the next big rain. Whatever, keep the stuff away from driveways, sidewalks, and other places where it could run off. (BTW: did you know that when it comes to 'cidesand fertilizers, “organic” doesn’t mean what it does with food? In the garden, it just means “has carbon in it”? Yeah. Think on that next time you’re tempted to trust a ‘cide label!) Lastly, please, please don’t use an “all-in-one” with pesticides and weed killers – most of the poisons won’t be applicable to your lawn, will get into the water, and will harm living things such as beneficial insects and your kids.

picture: my mothers’ bird bath, ready to cool hot bird feet; favor-for-favor, the birds de-grub the lawn.

LAWN MOWING: Like your grandpa said, keep the mower blades sharp. If the grass isn’t clean cut, it looses more water, etc. and isn’t as healthy. Set the mower for 2.5” to 3”, depending on your grass type and mow often enough so that you’re not taking off more than a third at a time. The taller turf encourages deeper, more drought- and pest-resistant roots. Cutting more than 1/3 at once weakens the little grass plants. Leave the clipping or you’re throwing out your nitrogen, etc. Rest assured, the experts say that that clippings don’t cause thatch build up, unless the clipping are left in large clumps (then rake them – no biggie).

WATER: Plan your summer watering. The plants have had their spring-wake up drink. So, now, don’t over do it, even if you’re not having a drought this year. You want your plants, and the lawn, to develop deep roots so they will last through the next drought. Also, by not giving them water all the time, you “teach” them to hold more in their leaves and roots. So water less often but when you do get deep enough so that it’s wet down 8” to 10”. Strangely, this may mean running out to turn on the sprinklers right after it rains, so you can leverage off the 3”-down wet that just came free. Don’t water again until it’s dry down about 2” or so. Think about not watering the lawn at all if you have drought-resistant grasses (e.g. established Kentucky Bluegrass). So it goes dormant and gets brown? Then you don’t have to mow in the heat and you’re using up less nitrogen. I guarantee you won’t be arrested.

HOUSEPLANTS: Them that’s going out should be out (in the shade at first). The catci should be in full swing, getting a compete soaking about once a week. Discourage insects in the house with a weekly sink-bath.

THE GARDENER: (That’s you.) The sun’s strong now so don’t forget the sun screen, hat, etc. If you can, plan your gardening day to follow the shade. Before 10 A.M. and after 4 P.M. is also safer.

picture: crabapple flowers have given way to tiny apples-to-be, vest pocket park, Stamford CT, May 2004

web bonus picture: invasive but lovely rosa multiflora (See Issue 44)

What the readers said:

I am thrilled to say that I saw lovely pictures in this week's Monday Garden. Has your computer guru done something new? Margarethe (NY)

Loved the Monday Garden as always. Lilacs are one of my favorites. Gregg NY)