Summer is upon us! The heat is on, and people are heading up the mountains or trooping to the coastal areas to avoid the scorching heat. For those who choose to spend most the summer at home, know that this season is the best time to get started on your summer gardening. Take advantage of the summer sun and cultivate a gorgeous summer garden for your home with these simple tips.
Rise and Shine
If you’re the type who likes to water plants when it’s extra hot and humid outside, know that during the hottest hours of summertime (around 10AM to 1PM), water will tend to evaporate before it even reaches the roots of the plants. Don’t try to solve this dilemma by overwatering the plants on hot days, as this practice will drown the plants, and eventually cause root rot. Instead, wake up early to get your watering done before it gets too hot outside. Water the garden again once you notice the soil starts to look a bit parched and crackly.
Prepare for New Blooms
Mature blooms from flowering plants tend to shrivel up and wilt during the early weeks of summer. Instead of trying to save them, snip them off and leave up to 4-6 inches of stem to promote the growth of fresh blooms. Prune your garden once more after 2-3 weeks of the appearance of a new set of blooms. A bonus to pruning your garden is that you’ll have enough flowers to create a lovely floral arrangement for your home at least once a month.
Nourish Accordingly
Plants tend to lose nutrients rapidly in the summer due to frequent watering. Go to your usual gardening supplies shop and stock up on organic fertilizers and fertilize your plants at least once a week. Fertilize them everyday if time permits. Do note that over-fertilizing can stress the plants out, so be careful not to overdo it. Ration the amount of fertilizer you use everyday, and do your research on how much you need to use depending on what type of plants you have in your garden.
Birds & Bees
Encourage plant growth by inviting your garden’s best pollinators to get the job done. Bees tend to be attracted to tall, colorful blooms like sunflowers, or fragrant blooms like lavender. Find young, potted flowers in your local flower market and plant them in fertilized soil anywhere in your garden to attract bees into your garden just in time for summer. Birds are also beneficial to your garden as they’re known to keep insects and garden pests at bay—scatter bird seed feeders and bird baths across your garden and watch them flock to help you out in your summer gardening.
