Perennials: Continue planting seeds of hardy perennials, biennials, English daisies and pansies. If needed, use fungicides on phlox, zinnias, lilacs and roses. Prune climbing roses and ramblers after they have bloomed. Remove dead canes and 2-year-old wood, and cut back the tops of this year’s growth about 6 inches. Ramblers bloom on the previous year’s wood so don’t cut too much.

Flowers: Take cuttings of scented geraniums to keep in the house next winter. A 5-inch cutting will root quickly if placed in a shady but warm spot.

Vegetables and fruits: Fertilize tomatoes when fruits start to form. Keep watered during dry spells. Hill up the ground around leeks (to blanch them) and around corn and bean plants. Pick beans when young and tender. Stay away from the bean patch if the leaves are wet. Inspect the leaves for orange clusters of bean beetle eggs and remove. After picking the first head of broccoli, smaller heads will continue to grow on the same plant until fall. Thin the onions and enjoy a delicious scallion-type taste.

Trees and shrubs: Finish pruning evergreens and flowering shrubs. Continue removing old rhododendron and laurel flowers to prevent energy-wasting seed pods.

Lawns: Keep the lawn mower sharp. If areas of lawn are brown, it may be chinch bug, a grub that attacks the roots. There are less toxic products for treatment. First, lift an area of browned grass and check for the presence of the pest.

Houseplants: Maintain a watering schedule. During vacation, plants can be kept for two or three weeks in a mini greenhouse made from clear plastic bags. Inspect plants carefully for pests, water well and group small plants under a tent in north light, never sunlight. Poke small holes if the tent is large and group similar plants together. A stake will prevent the plastic from touching the plants.

General: Visit some of the many public gardens in the Hudson Valley and the private gardens in the Garden Conservancy’s Open Garden Program.
Susan Henry