5 Tips for Your Summer To-Do List

Summer in the garden is not just about watering, though that is often a top priority. Here are five things that will make a dramatic difference in keeping your flowers and vegetables happier and healthier so you can enjoy the season in your garden too!

- —Jennifer Howell

Pinch the stem just past a set of leaves.

Pinch Your Petunias

When first planted, petunias grow and bloom vigorously. But when summer temperatures rise, stems stretch and flowering tapers off as blossoms fade and plants focus on producing seed.

WHAT TO DO

Once blooming slows and plants get leggy, you can revive petunias by trimming off up to one-third of the length of the stems. The photo at right shows how to use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the end of each branch just above a leaf node. Pinching back removes some of the spent blossoms so the plant doesn't waste energy producing seed. This encourages it to set more flower buds. Also, it forces growth of side shoots, which keeps the plant full.

If you pinch a couple of branches on each plant every week, your petunia will always have fresh growth and more flowers, and the job won't seem so overwhelming. Don't like getting sticky hands while pinching? Use scissors or garden snips for the job.

Cut back aster stems once before midsummer.

Trim Your Asters

Some fall-blooming asters can get really tall and have a tendency to flop over.

WHAT TO DO

To get a fuller, bushier plant that won't flop, trim asters by just a few leaves with a pinch. Or give them a harder cut using garden snips or pruners to remove one-third to one-half of the stem, as shown in the photos above. Cut stems at different heights—shorter in front and gradually taller in back, or in a mounded shape—so you can see more of the flowers when they bloom in the fall. Within a few weeks, side branches will fill in.