Now that summer has arrived, you may be thinking about taking that well-earned vacation. If you are planning to take an extended trip now or later this summer, be sure your landscape is in order prior to leaving. Lawns, gardens, and landscapes left unattended for several weeks can be ruined by our summer sun, wind, and heat. Just a little extra effort on your part before leaving can make a big difference in the health and well-being of your plants.
Here are some practical tips that should help ensure that your home landscape will not suffer the post-vacation blues.
Water
Water the home grounds well prior to leaving. Soak your lawn, gardens, and all landscape plants deeply. Our shallow soils can dry out rapidly even after heavy watering, so if you will be gone over a week, plan to have a neighbor hook up your hose and do a little supplemental watering.
Cut
Mow your lawn a day or two before your leave. Use the same cutting height that you normally do. Don’t lower the mower blade for a ‘closer shave’. Doing so could easily cause sun scald and damage. If you plan to be gone more than a week, it would be a good idea to arrange to have a friend or neighbor mow the lawn for you.
Prune hedges and other plants likely to get gangly by the time you return.Be sure that walks and flower beds are neatly edged before your departure. A buildup of growth while you are away will be difficult to manage on your return.
Mulch
Mulching helps conserve valuable moisture needed for plant growth while you are at home or away. Choose clean mulch, free of weed seed, and one which will remain loose and well aerated. Consider grass clippings, pine bark, compost, or a variety of other organic materials. Mulching will also reduce or eliminate the weeding problem.
Check for insects and diseases. Spray, if necessary, for insects and diseases to prevent a buildup of pests during your absence. Summer insects and diseases do not take a vacation, and will work overtime on your healthy plants. This goes particularly for chinch bugs. Make sure you have applied chinch bug control to your St. Augustine lawn, or you just might find it severely damaged by this little critter when you return.
Harvest
Pick all ripe or nearly ripe fruit and vegetables. If you will be gone over a week, arrange for a friend to pull and use produce. Vegetables left unpicked will frequently cease to bear.
Maintain Equipment
Take lawn and garden equipment by the repair shop if needed. They will have it ready by the time you return.
Protect Property
Arrange for a neighbor to pick up newspapers, or ask the paper delivery service to hold them until you return. Newspapers scattered over the front lawn are a dead giveaway that no one is home.
Lights on a timer are a good idea, and can provide an impression that someone is home.
Have a nice trip knowing that things at home will be in fine shape when you return. And don’t forget to visit some gardens while you are away. There are many spectacular gardens to enjoy in just about any part of the country where you may be headed.
Landscape preparation for a summer vacation may sound like a lot of extra work, but it is really not much more than the normal weekend routine of maintaining a healthy, well-groomed landscape.
Garden Check List for July/August
Caladiums require plenty of water at this time of year if they are to remain lush and active until fall. Fertilize with 21-0-0 at the rate of one-third to one-half pound per 100 square feet of bed area, and water thoroughly.
Prune out dead or diseased wood from trees and shrubs. Hold off on major pruning from now until midwinter. Severe pruning at this time will only stimulate tender new growth prior to frost.
Sow seeds of snapdragons, dianthus, pansies, calendulas, and other cool-season flowers in flats, or in well-prepared areas of the garden, for planting outside during mid-to-late fall.
Plant bluebonnet and other spring wildflowers. They must germinate in late summer or early fall, develop good root systems, and be ready to grow in spring when the weather warms. Plant seed in well-prepared soil, one-half inch deep, and water thoroughly.
Picking flowers frequently encourages most annuals and perennials to flower even more abundantly.
It is time to divide spring-flowering perennials, such as iris, Shasta daisy, oxeye, gaillardia, cannas, day lilies, violets, liriope, and ajuga.
Make your selections and place orders for spring-flowering bulbs now so that they will arrive in time for planting in October and November.
Don’t allow plants with green fruit or berries to suffer from lack of moisture.
A late-summer pruning of rosebushes can be beneficial. Prune out dead canes and any weak, brushy growth. Cut back tall, vigorous bushes to about 30 inches. After pruning, apply fertilizer, and water thoroughly. If a preventive disease-control program has been maintained, your rose bushes should be ready to provide an excellent crop of flowers this fall.
It is not too late to set out another planting of many warm-season annuals, such as marigolds, zinnias, and periwinkles. They will require extra attention for the first few weeks, but should provide you with color during late September, October, and November.
Establish a new compost pile to accommodate the fall leaf accumulation.
