Summer is around the corner and temperatures are already climbing. Now is the time to get your garden ready to withstand our Texas climate. Here are 6 helpful tips to prepare your garden for the upcoming season.
TIP #1: PLANT COLOR FOR THE SUMMER
ANNUAL COLOR
First, update your flowerbeds with annual blooms that will thrive in our Texas heat. Try Cora® XDR Vinca, Lantana, or Pentas. Cora® XDR Vincas are periwinkles that were bed for eXtreme Disease resistance for your success. They come in a variety of colors to provide a bright impact to your gardens and containers.
Pentas have small, star-shaped blooms that are great for attracting beneficial pollinators to your garden. Lantana contains cheerful clusters of flowers in a variety of vibrant colors. They are also ideal for attracting pollinators like butterflies and bees. Lantana are adaptable to dry and moist growing conditions and can be considered drought tolerant.
PERENNIALS
Perennials are plants that rebloom year after year. Try adding Coneflowers or Shasta Daisies! Coneflowers are heat and drought tolerant. They have an upright habit and are extremely low maintenance. Coneflowers come in shades of orange, purple, yellow, and red. The Shasta Daisy blooms white showy flowers during the summer. It is an excellent choice for borders and cut flowers.
SUMMER BLOOMING SHRUBS
Planting shrubs is a great way to update your landscape and increase the value of your home. Give your garden an extra boost of beautiful with summer blooming selections. Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush is a compact choice with large, violet-blue flowers with yellow-orange eyes on sturdy stems. It is a favorite to butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees.
Kaleidoscope Abelia is an impressive compact shrub with brilliant yellow gold and deep green variegated foliage. It produces lovely white flowers in the summer. It is resistant to leaf fade and sun scorch to provide a dazzling performance all season long!
TIP 2: APPLY MULCH
Mulch benefits your garden in many ways. It reduces weed growth, and it moderates the soil temperatures by keeping it warmer on cold night and cooler on hot days. Mulch also reduces water loss from the soil surface and helps maintain a nice and moist soil for your plants.
The key to your gardening success is to use quality, organic mulch like Calloway’s Premium Mulch. Our 100% organic mulch is available in cedar, hardwood, and pine bark. This attractive top dressing will make your garden look complete and beautiful.
TIP 3: WATERING IS KEY
As the temperatures rise, our gardens can get thirsty. Watering tools are essential to maintaining a healthy garden and lawn. New plants will require more frequent watering while they get established. For established plants, water less frequently, but thoroughly. This will give your plants plenty of water intermittently. For more information on watering, visit our blog here!
Use the ideal watering tools for your gardening needs. At your local Calloway’s and Cornelius, we offer a premium selection of watering hoses, nozzles, wands, and watering cans. We also have portable sprinkler systems, like the melnor® 8-Pattern Sprinkler, to ensure your lawn and plants get moisture.
TIP 4: MOSQUITO CONTROL SOLUTIONS
Get ahead of mosquitoes and start controlling them now! Mosquito Control Solutions are essential to protecting you and your family. Stop them before they bite and enjoy your outdoor spaces in peace!
PATIO AND PERSONAL PROTECTION
Bug Protector® is an all-natural spray that helps repel mosquitoes, gnats, and other biting insects with ingredients straight from nature, like geranium, lemongrass and cinnamon. It is chemical-free and DEET-free. Skeeter Hawk™ offers a fabulous line of effective mosquito traps, zappers, repellent writbands, and more!
LANDSCAPE PROTECTION
Bonide® Mosquito Beater® RTS is an outdoor mosquito repellent. It is people and pet safe when used as directed. Spray around shrubbery, patios, decks, and other areas where mosquitos gather. Summit Mosquito Dunks® are America’s best-selling mosquito control product. It contains BTI, a bacteria toxic only to mosquito larvae. It lasts 30 days and treats 100 square feet of surface water. It is non-toxic and safe for pets and family! Simply, dunk into any standing water or fountain. Spartan Mosquito® Pro Tech is a bait system and it only requires warm water. The mosquito population will suffer dramatically and be up to 95% controlled for up to 30 days. Good Natured™ Natural Cedar Warrior or Nature’s Creation® Cedar Repel are red cedar granules that can be applied to your lawns and gardens to safely protect your family from mosquitoes, ants, chinch bugs, fleas, and more.
TIP 5: PLANT EDIBLES
There is nothing like a juicy, cool tomato on a hot summer day. Vegetables need at least 6 hours of sunlight per day making them a perfect summer plant! Start growing now so you can enjoy a tasty harvest full of fresh squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and more from Chef Jeff’s®!
For your gardening success, plant with Calloway’s Organic Garden Compost or Calloway’s Organic Container Potting Soil.
TIP 6: LAWN CARE
Do you want a barefoot, soft lawn this summer? Managing your lawn is key especially July through September. Help your lawn stay healthy with these simple steps:
- Watering your lawn is essential. Encourage root growth with deep watering which will produce healthy turfgrass growth.
- Mowing is also important. During the hottest parts of summer, it may not be as frequent, but mowing during this time can greatly reduce weed populations from developing next spring.
- Continue to fertilize your lawn to support healthy growth! Use Calloway’s Premium Lawn Foods. Calloway’s Premium Lawn Food is ideal for new lawns that have been fed less than three times. Our 21-5-10 formula provides your lawn with triple controlled release nitrogen, trace elements, and iron to establish strong roots with lasting, green color. Calloway’s Premium Lawn Food Phosphorus Free is ideal for established lawns. The 21-0-0 formula contains triple controlled release nitrogen, as well as vital iron and micronutrients.
SHOP WITH EASE
At Calloway’s and Cornelius, we have everything you need for your summer garden! Shop our neighborhood stores or shop online for Curbside Pickup or Delivery!
Stop by today and explore our entire selection of premium summer plants, products, and more! Have questions? Ask our Texas Certified Nursery Professionals; they are here to help!
