In case you haven’t noticed the blazing heat, lazy dogs, sunburns, and overactive air conditioning, summer in Murfreesboro is in full swing! Gardening fanatics in this region know that high temperatures and lots of sun can make maintaining a beautiful yard a challenge if you aren’t careful. Summertime landscaping care goes beyond just watering the plants more often. Here are a few tips to keep your garden looking lush and cool all summer long:
Those delicate spring blooms that stole your heart a few months ago are probably starting to look a bit faded by now. That means it’s time to plant some blooms that love the heat! Replace your faded pansies with summer annuals like ageratum, pentas, zinnia, and angelonia. This is also a good time to plant summer blooming bulbs. They grow really fast, so you can enjoy their color this season and next year, too!
To maintain that beautiful landscaped look, make sure you aren’t cutting your grass too short. In the summer, grass is healthier when it has enough leaf surface to protect itself from the sun. If your yard has cool-season grasses like ryegrass, fescue, or Kentucky bluegrass, raise your mower blade to help it keep some healthy length. This trick keeps your grass looking beautiful through every season.
Summer is the best time to spread a 2-inch thick layer of mulch over the ground in your garden. The mulch keeps the underlying soil protected from the sun, which in turn keeps the roots of your plants happy and healthy. Cooler plants = lusher garden!
If your spring blooms aren’t faded enough to pull, start helping them out by pulling off their weak and wilted blooms. This method, called deadheading, helps the plant stop making seeds and start allocating its resources to the remaining healthy blooms. This helps the flower live longer and maintain its vibrant color.
If you need any help getting your landscape through the summer, don’t hesitate to call the Murfreesboro landscaping experts at All Summer Landscaping & Lawn Care!