1. Check roses for:
– Black spot, remove leaves and water in the morning only;
– Keep watch for rose saw fly damage. Remove affected curled tips; and
– Rose slug (curled up and hidden in nodes or on leaf) which leaves holes on new leaves at top. Destroy.
3. Fertilize roses before end of July.
– Sprinkle half a cup of Epsom salts around base; and
– Use a fertilizer with a high middle number (potassium).
4. Dead head annuals in baskets, prune few alternating branches half way then repeat in two weeks to produce bushier plants.
5. Remove spotted, stippled, watermarked iris leaves to control borer.
6. Prune peonies back to a node to produce attractive bush appearance.
7. Prune back delphiniums after blooming for a possible re-bloom in fall. For more plants seeds are most viable at this point and germinate easily.
8. Prune back spirea, ninebark, weigela after blooming to form compact bush and possible second bloom.
9. Pinch back coleus to prevent blooming, resulting in bushier plants.
10. Keep on top of lily beetles. Remove dark clumps of frass on underside of leaves (larvae inside) and any damaged leaves to control future generations.
11. Spring flowering rock plants will benefit with a good shearing.
12. Any branches that haven’t leafed out are dead and may be pruned out.
13. If you encountered birch leaf miner, there is a nematode to control the grubs in the soil beneath the trees. (Natural Insect Control.)
14. Keep lawns cut at proper height to avoid pests and diseases.
15. In August, start monitoring lawns for signs of grubs and chinch. Identify and use proper nematodes.
16. Start saving seeds for the 2017 Fergus Elora Seedy Saturday Seed Exchange.
17. Rake and destroy fallen fruit and leaves to keep insects and diseases at bay.
Julia Kron is a member of the Fergus and District Horticultural Society and a Guelph-Wellington County Master Gardener.
