• Don’t fertilize anymore this season- you don’t want to stimulate growth at a time when most plants will be getting ready for a long winter’s nap. It’s best to wait till spring.

• Prepare new flower beds by smothering the grass with cardboard, layers of newspaper, bed sheets, etc. Cover it all with mulch.

• Wait for rainy days or cooler weather to transplant anything, unless you are willing to check it and water everyday.

• Daylilies, iris, poppies, foxtail, phlox and peonies are best divided and transplanted now through September.

• Keep a watchful eye out for those lime green worms eating your plants.

• Gardens still need an inch of water a week, if nature doesn’t do it- you have to, remember a deep soaking is better than a quick spritz see dry to the bone for info.

• Dead-head any blooming flowers for continuous blooms through fall.

• It’s time to order and plant next springs bulbs.

• Mulch, mulch, mulch- it’s the best defense against water evaporation and weeds. Mulch potted plants too- making sure you don’t cover the stems check out your local town dump, they usually have a FREE wood chip pile from road clean up- makes good mulch!

• Don’t waste water on your lawn, if it gets too dry and starts to turn brown it will green up as soon as it rains or gets cooler.

• Put out fresh water for the birds, it will attract them to your yard and they will help keep bugs under control.

• Trim diseased, broken and crossing branches from trees and shrubs as well as water sprouts, those vertical branches that grow from the base of the tree.

• Keep composting veggie scraps, coffee and tea bags too.

• Continue to top dress garden beds with composted soil, ground up fall leaves, pine straw, mulch etc.

• Keep up on the weeds, they steal moisture, nutrients and light from your garden.

• Turn over the compost pile and keep it to a damp sponge consistency