Summer is a busy season for gardening! There’s lots to do, but if you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry. We’ve put together an easy summer gardening checklist to make sure you cover all the basics this year.

• Mulch 
  We spoke about the benefits of mulch and the different ways to use it in our past post: Why Mulch is Your Garden’s Best Friend! But we can’t emphasize this point enough: mulch really is one of the best things you can do for your garden. Make sure you spread a 2-inch deep layer of mulch over all the soil in your yard this June to provide protection from the sun, prevent moisture loss and keep your plant roots healthy!
• Remove Old Blooms 
  This process is called “deadheading”, and often once you’ve removed old flowers from your plants, they will produce fresh ones! This also prevents your annuals and perennials from creating more seeds, as their energy will be committed to blooming instead. A little deadheading can help your garden in the long run, as it will keep plants that self-seed aggressively in check.
• Raise the Level of your Lawn Mower 
  We talked about how to best take care of your lawn in our post: 5 Lawn Care Tips for Spring, and these tips stand true for summer! Specifically, the one about setting your mower higher, as in the heat of summer, lawns tend to dry out. To help prevent this, make sure you aren’t cutting your grass too short and allow your lawn to retain as much moisture as possible by keeping it a little longer.
• Weed 
  It’s especially important to stay on top of weeding come summer time, as many weeds love the heat and will take the opportunity to grow rampantly. Weeds also steal critical moisture and nutrients from your existing plants, damaging their overall health. Pests and diseases love weeds, so make sure you are pulling them when they are still young and small. This way, you can also prevent them from producing seeds and spreading throughout the rest of your garden.
• Pest control 
  Along the same vein, make sure you are on the lookout for pests while you are engaging in these activities. Pests and diseases also love the heat, so it’s especially important to keep an eye out for them come summer time. Some common issues to watch out for are: black spots, grasshoppers, cucumber beetles, powdery mildew and rust.
• Plant Summer Blooms 
  Add colour to your garden with some summer-blooming bulbs. Best planted soon, bulbs such as dahlia and calla will greatly enhance the beauty of your outdoor space. Make sure you wait until all the frost is gone — early June is the opportune moment for planting! Summer bulbs come in an abundance of varieties. Visit your local gardening center or ask an expert at NeighborScape if you need a hand picking out which blooms would work best in your yard.
• Water 
  Depending on how dry the summer is where you live, it’s probably a good idea to water your garden to keep it hydrated and healthy. Most plants require approximately 1 inch of water a week. Make sure you are watering the soil around the plant, and not the plant’s leaves. Standing water on leaves can lead to disease and your plants won’t be properly nourished. A soaker hose or a good old-fashioned watering can will do the trick.

Ready to get gardening? Need a hand from your local experts? NeighborScape is here to help. Get in touch by calling 613-692-7051 or emailing us at info@neighborscape.ca. We look forward to hearing from you!