Late June early July Gardening in Minnesota

This is your last chance this summer to trim your evergreens. You do not want to trim evergreens much after mid July. Trimming promotes new growth, if that happens too late in the season, the new growth will not harden off before winter and can turn brown. Most deciduous shrubs can be lightly sheared if you like a more formal look, but stay away from the Lilacs, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Forsythias and other plants that bloom early in the spring, for they have already started setting next years flower buds. Shrubs planted in heavier shade can be trimmed to encourage more branching. Shrubs that flower on new wood like most Spireas, can be sheared to promote a second flowering.
Keep feeding annuals and roses. Things that are long blooming, are heavy feeders and need to be fertilized more often. This time of year you can use Miracle Grow and water. Only fertilize things you have been watering regularly. Do not feed drought stressed plants. Things such as hanging baskets and Hibiscus that get almost daily waterings, should be fed more often, as the frequent watering leeches out the nutrients.
Keep watering your lawn, it should receive one inch of water EVERY week. Keep the mower blade set to one of the highest settings, around three inches. Cutting the grass shorter during hot, dry periods will stress the grass and promote weed growth. Taller grass shades the ground and keeps it cooler. You do not mow the grass because it is tall, you mow it because it grows unevenly. Newly mowed grass at 3", looks just as nice as newly mowed grass at 1". Keep your mower blade sharp to make clean cuts. Dull blades beat and rip grass and cause stress.

Perennial Flowers That Bloom in Spring Through Summer

Dianthus

Dianthus is an old-fashion flower that performs well in cottage gardens, formal gardens and rock gardens. The height of dianthus ranges from 5 inches tall up to 2 feet tall, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The old-fashioned varieties have clove-scented flowers. Deadhead the faded flowers to encourage new blooms to form and to keep the seed from dropping into the garden. At the end of the season, allow a few seeds to drop to make sure the plants do not die out over the winter. Dianthuses are shallow-rooted plants, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, so mulch the existing plants well. Dianthus begins blooming in April and, depending variety, will continue blooming into September.

Salvia

Salvia is an easy-to-grow perennial plant that, once established, is drought-tolerant. There are both perennial and annual varieties of Salvia, so be sure to read the tag to see if the variety you choose is hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone 4. There are many varieties of Salvia to choose from, including the culinary sage that is popular in holiday dressing. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees frequent these plants during their long bloom season. To encourage continual bloom and discourage self-seeding, regular deadheading is necessary. Salvia begins blooming in June and continues through October.

Yarrow

The fern-like foliage of yarrow adds texture to the garden, which is an important design element. The flowers that come in a multitude of colors including white, yellow, red and pink attract a variety of bees, butterflies and beneficial insects into the garden. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Yarrow is an easy-to-care-for plant that is drought-tolerant once established. Yarrow will spread, even in poor soil, so plan to divide this plant every couple of years to keep it under control. The blooms start in June and continue through October.

WET WEATHER GARDENING

Avoid Soil Compaction

Let’s start with the main “don’t”. Do not work the soil when it is wet. Nothing destroys soil structure faster than ploughing, or digging in soggy soil. Soil damaged in this way gets compacted easily, with the associated consequences of reduced air percolation and impeded drainage.

Do’s

It’s a good time to set cuttings of most shrubs to root. You’ll have to be careful with cuttings of “softer” plants such as impatiens and coleus, which tend to rot easier than shrubs, so provide some protection from the rains.

It’s also a good time to circumpose plants such as croton, mussaenda, roses, hibiscus, allamanda, as sap flows freely during the wet weather.

Keep up your spraying program, especially for diseases such as black spot fungus on roses, leaf spots and blights. You may have to increase the spray cycle to every 5-7 days, and be sure to add a surfactant or sticker to the mixture.

Finally, check drainage channels, and clear or reinforce where necessary.