Midsummer Perennial Garden Care
Keep your perennial gardens looking their best throughout the hot summer months and into fall with a bit of midsummer grooming and care.
Remove faded flowers for a neater and tidier appearance on peonies, lamb’s ear, bergenia and more. This also encourages additional flowering on perennials like bee balm, purple coneflower, salvia, veronicas and others.
Cut back flopping perennials like Walker’s Low catmint and salvia that have finished their second flush of flowers. New growth will be sturdier, more compact and eventually covered with blooms.
Use sharp pruners or garden scissors to remove or trim back discolored foliage.
Stake taller perennials in need of a bit of support. Use bamboo stakes and ties, twigs woven into stems or other attractive or virtually invisible supports. Then make a note on next year’s calendar as a reminder to put stakes in place in spring as plants emerge.
A bit more information: Spread a layer of shredded leaves, evergreen needles or other organic mulch over the soil surface. This conserves moisture, helps suppress weeds and improves the soil as they break down.
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