Mid-Season Advice

In this encore episode of Down the Garden Path podcast, landscape designer Joanne Shaw offers mid-season advice for your lawn and garden.

Topics covered in this week's episode:

YES, you can still plant this summer. You do not need to wait until fall.

• Summer is always a good time to pick up a good sale on plants, just check that the roots are healthy.
• The roots are the most important thing to look at in mid-summer, especially on discounted plant material. It may not do much this year, but it will be even better next year.
• Tree and shrub planting is fine, but you need to be around home to water in case of drought.
• If you are away for a few days, that is fine. Consider using a tree watering bag for your trees or even timers for sprinklers. The important thing is to be around to keep an eye on your newly planted trees.
• Also, remember the sign of too much water is the same as not enough. So, check the soil deeply if your plant appears to be struggling.

Mid-summer is Japanese beetle season.

• I want to reassure you that Japanese beetle traps work, when used according to instructions. Read the instructions! Place the trap far away from the garden and plants (including your neighbours’ plants)
• Communicate with your close neighbours; you don’t all need a trap.
• Follow the distance guidelines in the instructions and you will be fine. The key is to capture as many as possible before they lay their eggs in your lawn, which turn into grubs.

Native Plants

• There’s so much talk about native plants and only using them in your garden.
• If it is overwhelming, don’t worry. There are a lot of non-native plants that pollinators love.
• There is no need to remove plants or shrubs to add native plants -- unless you have invasive plants, or you want to.
• I suggest a few mid-season native bloomers that can be added now. Many native plants are spring or fall bloomers and many can become invasive or spreaders, so keep that in mind when choosing them.
• Removing seed heads will help with their spread.

Mid-summer is also crabgrass season.

• It is important to pull it out before it goes to seed.
• Try not to cut grass when it has gone to seed because that spreads the seed to create more weeds for next year.
• If you have a large lawn and or a large amount of crabgrass, consider bagging your grass for the rest of the season to try to prevent as many weeds as possible for next year.

Resources mentioned during the show:

Permeable Landscaping Products with David Maxwell from Romex

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden

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