• Reap herbs for maximum flavor by harvesting them as the first flower buds appear
• Lanky annuals need your help! Pinch them back now to encourage bushy growth and more flowers.
• Don't forget watering chores: potted plants, especially, dry out quickly in warm weather
• Set out warm season vegetables and annuals
• Harvest veggies as soon as they're ripe to encourage further production
• Avoid weed-infested gardens: weed before you leave on vacation
• Mulching around trees prevents mower damage and weed whacker blight
• The best time to cut flowers for vases? Early in the day when stems are firm and water filled.
• Maintain a thick layer (3 to 4 inches) of mulch on flower and vegetable gardens. It conserves moisture, reduces weeds, and adds organic matter to the soil.
• Deadhead the faded roses you haven't cut by taking off the spent flower stems down to a five-leaflet leaf

Zone 2

• Create your own gardener's gold! Start a compost pile.
• Now that temperatures have warmed, plant summer-flowering bulbs and tubers
• Sow biennial seeds (hollyhocks, English daisies, foxgloves, violas, Canterbury bells, and sweet William) for flowers next year
• Tall flowers, such as lupines and foxgloves, need staked support against the wind
• To maintain freshness, cool fruits and veggies (except tomatoes) as quickly as possible after harvest
• Relax -- there's no need to fertilize the lawn in midsummer
• Harvest veggies regularly; avoid rotting produce that attracts insects and reduces yields
• Cut stems of annual herbs just above a pair of leaves, allowing 4 to 6 inches of plant to remain for regrowth and additional harvest
• Leave the larvae on dill and carrots for beautiful fall butterflies
• Note the native plants in bloom this month and include them in your own wildflower garden

• Now's the time to start seeds of cool-season vegetables for fall growing
• Rogue out (remove) virus-infected plants from the garden and control leaf-hopping insects to prevent virus spread
• By pruning off faded blooms from annuals, you can prevent seed formation and coax additional flowers
• Mulch flowerbeds with dried grass clipping or compost to maintain moisture and reduce weeds
• Save maintenance and water by allowing perennial rye and Kentucky blue grass lawns to go dormant during the summer
• Raspberries are ripe when they pull readily from the central core
• Prune water sprouts (upright, vigorous shoots) from apple trees
• Avoid deep cultivation around shallow rooted trees and shrubs such as evergreens
• Add a water-soluble fertilizer to hanging baskets and patio pots every 2 weeks to keep plants blooming their best
• Cut flowers for drying at their prime or when just opening

Zone 4

• Add one last planting of gladioli bulbs for flowers into fall
• Harvest veggies as soon as they're ripe to encourage further production
• Avoid the sight of a weed-infested garden: weed first before you leave on vacation
• Harvest sweet corn when silks are brown and punctured kernels produce a milky juice
• Prevent blossom-end rot on tomatoes by providing plants with at least an inch of water each week
• Let melons ripen on the vine--this is where they will develop their best flavor
• Start fall garden transplants from seed
• Petunias, coleus and other summer annuals might be leggy by now. Pinch them back just above a leaf to encourage bushy growth and more flowers
• Leave faded flowers on those plants that form ornamental seed heads, pods, or berries
• Provide water in a shallow pan or birdbath for your feathered and fluttering friends

Zone 5

• Remove annuals with stunted or unusual color; these are usually virus infected and the disease can spread to neighboring healthy plants
• To control disease on fruit trees, maintain a summer spray schedule
• Clean hummingbird feeders filled with nectar solution regularly to ward off mold and bacteria
• Consider drip irrigation and/or soaker hoses for watering in the flowerbed and vegetable garden
• Bats help control mosquitoes; attract these friendly mammals with bat houses
• Muskmelons and cantaloupes are ready for picking when the stem "slips" easily from the fruit with gentle pressure
• Harvest veggies as soon as they're ripe to encourage additional production
• Sharp mower blades prevent leaf blade damage and lawn stress
• Prevent diseases on susceptible rose varieties: apply fungicide every 7-10 days
• Lanky annuals need your help! Pinch them back now to encourage bushy growth and more flowers

Zone 6

• Deadhead blooming annuals and perennials for repeat flowering
• Harvest veggies immediately when ripe; rotting produce attracts insects
• Avoid weed-infested gardens: weed before you leave on vacation
• Water hanging baskets and patio pots daily during warm weather
• Fertilize annual flowerbeds with an all-purpose fertilizer to encourage more blooms
• Harvest lavender stems for use in bath sachets or drying
• Sharp shears make quick work of herb and flower harvests
• Mow cool season grasses at 3 inches during the summer to shade and insulate the soil
• Enjoy a glass of tea flavored with mint, pineapple sage, or lemon balm from the garden
• Provide birds and butterflies with a shallow water source

Zone 7

• Remove faded flowers from perennials after they finish blooming. Deadheading redirects energy towards healthy roots.
• Maintain a 3 to 4 inch mulch layer around trees and shrubs to protect them from mower and weed whacker damage.
• Check plants regularly for insect problems; hand pick or use suitable control measures if found
• Fertilize warm-season grasses
• Plant butterfly nectar and larval food plants such as asclepias, buddleia, and passionflower
• Replace spent annuals with heat-tolerant lantana, verbena, pentas, and hibiscus
• Consider drip irrigation and/or soaker hoses as efficient watering alternatives
• Harvest raspberries and blackberries daily to avoid attracting insects to overripe fruit
• Prune water sprouts from apple trees
• Water flowerbeds and vegetable gardens deeply. This encourages a deep root system

Zone 8

• Start basil seedlings for a fall herb garden
• Mow warm-season grasses at a height of 2.5 to 3 inches; apply at least an inch of water a week
• Prevent rose diseases with a fungicide spray program
• For longest vase life, harvest cut flowers just as they begin to open and condition them in floral preservative
• Fertilize container plants every two weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer solution for best bloom
• Keep annuals in bloom by removing faded flowers
• Bats help control mosquitoes; attract these friendly mammals with bat houses
• Help trees survive the heat by mulching heavily over the root system--avoid mulch too close to the trunk
• Water your garden more efficiently with drip irrigation or soaker hoses
• Save space in the garden with trellises, fences, and stakes-harvest is easier too

Zone 9

• Cultivate your own tropical paradise going by planting palms, bananas, and fruit trees
• Start tomato transplants for your fall vegetable garden
• A sunny yellow garden of cosmos, sunflowers, and zinnias brightens up the summer landscape
• Mow warm-season grasses at a height of 2.5 to 3 inches; apply at least an inch of water weekly
• Inspect plants for possible insect pest problems
• Attract butterflies to the garden by providing caterpillar food plants like carrots, dill, and parsley
• Beat the heat with durable annuals like zinnia, sunflower, and celosia
• Hibiscus makes a great addition to hanging baskets, patio pots, or flowerbeds
• Clean hummingbird feeders regularly to prevent mold and bacteria growth
• Get the most from garden space by installing trellises and stakes for plants to grow up on--harvest is easier too

Zone 10

• Start tomato seedlings for your fall garden; consider container varieties for your patio
• Remove dying foliage regularly from water garden to maintain a healthy pond pH
• Water gardens and yards early in the morning before the wind comes up; apply at least an inch of water weekly
• Remove grass from around trees and shrubs and replace with moisture-conserving mulch
• To build up delicious nutmeats, thoroughly water nut trees
• A mixture of flower colors, sizes and bloom times provides butterfly nectar throughout the season
• Plant a variety of basil flavors for a fall herb garden
• Check the filter in your water garden for clogs
• Install drip irrigation in the vegetable garden and flowerbeds to water more efficiently
• Plant morning glory vines to provide nectar for hummingbirds

Zone 11

• Gasping fish at the water garden's surface need additional oxygen from cleaner water
• Inspect plants regularly for potential pest problems
• Fertilize container plants every 2 weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer for best bloom
• A mixture of flower colors, sizes, and bloom times will attract butterflies throughout the season
• Remove grass from the area directly around trees and shrubs and replace with moisture conserving mulch
• Keep an eye on the water garden during hot spells and provide additional aeration and/or mist the water to help cool it
• Hummingbirds love shrimp plants, four o'clocks, and morning glories; include these in your garden and you're sure to have regular visitors
• Water gardens and yards early in the morning before wind levels increase
• The best time to cut flowers for vases? Early in the day when stems are firm and water filled.
• Lawns should be cut at 2 1/2 to 3 inches; mow frequently enough to remove only 1/3 of the leaf surface at any one time