Perk's Pointers for July

I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July. It was good to have the Fourth off and I am sure everyone here at Park-A-Lawn is in agreement.

We have had a great spring. We’ve been extremely busy in all aspects of our business from landscaping to retail.

Our Garden Center and Nursery will slow down as the hot weather resists, but we are still quite busy with landscape and irrigation installations.

The month of July usually brings hot and dry weather. Be sure to water your landscape plants thoroughly twice a week. Your lawn should have at least an 1" to 1 1/2" of water a week and if we aren’t blessed with natural rainfall, you might have to use your lawn sprinklers. If you don’t have an in-ground sprinkler system this might be a good time to consider one.

Below are some tips for your landscape and lawn. Give us a call if you have any landscape, irrigation, or just general plant questions in general. We are here to serve you.

Perk's Pointers for July Landscape Maintenance Light pruning - trim shrubs that have just finished blooming and remove dead flower heads on perennials that have stopped blooming. Post-emergence weed control if needed. Light fertilization of annuals and perennials. Watch for Japanese Beetles and bagworms. Borer control for Dogwoods, Japanese Maples and White Birches. Spray for spider mites on Dwarf Alberta Spruces, Cedar of Lebanons and Burning Bushes. Watch for scale on euonymus, mugho pines and spruces. Spray fungicide on roses, junipers and moonbeams.

Perk's Pointers for July Lawn Care Maintenance Continue mowing at 2.5" to 3.5" or at a higher height during hot, dry weather. Water lawn 1" per week or as needed. Fertilize only on irrigated lawns or during summer with above average rainfall and use a product that contains slow-release nitrogen. If a lawn has a history of white grub damage, consider applying insecticide containing Merit in early July.

July Featured Plant

• Lupine - This plant grows to be 3' to 4' tall. Pink, red, blue, yellow, white and bi-color blooms flower late spring to summer. Lupine grows in full sun to light shade and prefers cool, evenly moist, and acidic soil. This plant is a good challenge to grow and combines well with Siberian Iris and Salvias.
• Delphinium - Delphinium grows to be 3' to 6' tall and have fragrant blue, white, and pink blooms. It blooming flowers in early to mid-summer and grows best in sun to light shade. Delphinium requires alkaline soil and grows best in cool climates.
• Bell Flower - Bell Flowers grow to be 6" to 48" tall. This full sun to light shade flower has blue and white blooms during the summer. Bell Flowers are showy, easy to care for, and are often used in border, container, and rock gardens.