It’s the same story every year. Your landscaped garden begins to come to life after the long cold and dead of winter. You eagerly watch each shoot spring forth, pulling weeds that threaten to inhibit growth, and dream with delightful anticipation of the full maturity of the summer months. You are awed by the fresh green vigor that is the perfect backdrop for the brilliant colors of the blooms. And you are happy.

Until one day you realize that your garden’s exuberance has caused it to exceed its bounds, bringing a rather disheveled and unorganized look to your picturesque display. Then you remember that there are some summer garden maintenance tips that you sorely need to implement in order to rein in the sprawling plants!

Dead-head – After blooms have faded, dead heading can significantly improve the look of your garden as you remove spent flowers. This summer garden maintenance tip not only immediately freshens up appearances, but it also reinvigorates the plants and encourages fresh waves of blooms, since the plants can focus their energy on bloom production rather than trying to maintain any withering stems.

Weed – It may have been your least favorite chore as a kid, but weeding is absolutely vital in a well-tended garden. Your gardening treasures need the nutrients that weeds so greedily absorb – and removing the competition means happier, healthier plants.

Fertilize – Plants benefit greatly from consistent supplementation of nutrients which are often lacking in the soil. A wide variety of fertilizers are available depending on your plant needs.

Selecting Garden Fertilizer
How do you know what fertilizer to use? wikihow.com says, “Learning how to choose fertilizer for your garden plants can be a daunting process. Fertilizers differ in important ways, including what they are composed of, their mineral content, and whether they are organically produced or not. Some fertilizers boost leaf growth, while others boost flower and fruit growth, for example. If you want to know what fertilizer to use on your garden plants and when to use it, you’ll need to assess your plants’ needs and then understand which qualities to look for in a fertilizer.”

Taking the time to amend organic matter into your soil will benefit the summer garden.  To increase the soil and nutrient retention ability of the soil, add compost.  When plant waste breaks down from its plant form into organic matter, this is composting. Containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, composting provides nutrients needed for healthy growth. For the lover of nature, these basic summer garden maintenance tips, as well as a little familiarity with your plants in question, are all that is needed to keep your garden looking its best this season!

In business for over 35-years, full-service landscape design company Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA was recognized with the “Best Of Houzz” 2015 Award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design.

Aardweg Landscaping offers complimentary on-site consultations at homes in communities throughout the metro Philadelphia area. To schedule a consultation, call Aardweg Landscaping at 610-355-0703, or send an email using the website contact form.