Lawns:
o Irrigate warm season grasses at this time of year as needed. Most lawns will need 11/2" of water each week. It is best to apply all at one time or split the application to make two 3/4" applications several days apart.
o Be prepared to apply pyrethroids in St. Augustinegrass for chinch bug control.
o Weeds are really adaptive to the harsh conditions that prevail in the summertime. Check on your weed population, get the weeds identified, and control with the appropriate weed control product. The best weed control strategy is to have a well established turfgrass that prevents weeds from establishing.
o Fertilize the warm season grasses with 1/2to 1 pound of actual nitrogen.
o Continue to mow at the proper heights for the various grasses:
Centipedegrass 1.0 - 1.5"
St Augustinegrass 2.5 - 3.0” Bermudagrass .75 - 1.25" Zoysiagrass .75 - 1.0"
Tall Fescue 3.5 - 4.0"
o Watch for mole cricket activity - small tunnels at the soil surface. Fipronil may be used for mole cricket control.

Pruning:
The appearance of many shrubs can be improved with a general pruning at this time of year. With new growth averaging 6 8" long, many evergreens are getting slightly out of bounds. Now is a good time to take hand pruners and shears to shape them. Individual branches and stems need to be cut to back inside the plant. This will reduce the overall size of the plant and also reshape it.

Continue to shear formal hedges.

Rejuvenation Pruning: If the shrubs have turned into small trees over the years, now would be an appropriate time to get the big saw out and take them back to 12 15" stems. The other professional approach is to limb up from the ground and accentuate the `tree look'. If all else fails....remove the entire plant and start over again. Before replanting, evaluate the space to determine what type of plant, if any, is needed. This is often the best solution to overgrown plants.

Powdery mildew on Crape myrtles:
If you have been paying close attention to your crapemyrtle foliage lately, you've probably noticed that the disease may have already started. Banner or Bayleton may be used to control this disease.

Consider using resistant cultivars, such as “Byers Standard Red", "Byers Wonderful White", "Miami","Osage", "Seminole", “Tuscarora", "Tuskegee", "Yuma" and "Zuni". Lagerstroemia faurei is becoming a popular choice as a mildew resistant crapemyrtle.

Now is a good time to stroll around the landscape and be observant. Look at the new growth on the trees and shrubs as an "indicator of progress". There should be foliage all the way to the tips. If the ends are bare, this may indicate some serious root problems. New growth should be apparent on liriope, English ivy, periwinkle and pachysandra. If new growth from this spring season is not visible, or is less than normal, then investigate the problem - environmental stress, poor drainage, low nutrient availability, pH problem, construction damage to the root zone area or possible chemical injury. Be sure to check for insects. Aphids, mites and scales are serious problems.

Summer Bedding Plants: Finish planting summer color beds. Don't take shortcuts in preparing the soil. Good root establishment will maximize top growth and flowering performance.

July is a good time to trim the "bleeders" in the landscape. Maples, birches and dogwoods can be lightly pruned and reshaped. This is also a good time to prune water sprouts from crabapples, Crapemyrtles and all fruit trees.

Crapemyrtles are some of North Carolina's favorite summer landscape trees. They provide great color and interest in the landscape and they are also adaptable to numerous stressful landscape situations. Several tips to consider for enhancing their performance are:

o Take care of Japanese beetle problems immediately. Use appropriate insecticides (Sevin) to control the generous population of beetles.
o As the flowers begin to fade, keep the limbs trimmed back. You will also notice that many of the limbs will be drooping under the heavy load of blooms. They should be trimmed periodically to maintain an upright form.
o Now is a good time to prune lower growing branches back to enhance the tree form of the plant. Stored energy reserves are low at this time and regrowth will be minimized.
o Help your crape myrtles lose weight this summer. As the flowers fade, tip prune them. This will encourage new, dense growth and more flowers for late summer.


Boxwoods are great landscape plants, especially if they are planted correctly and given routine maintenance. Designers find them very helpful in solving design problems. This is the time of year to address possible insect infestations. The four insects which can cause damage are boxwood leafminer, psyllid, mite and Japanese wax scale.

The most destructive pest is the boxwood leafminer. The larvae feed on the tissues between the outer surfaces of the leaves all summer. This results in blotch shaped mines on the foliage. The infested leaves appear blistered from late summer through the following spring. By fall you can expect premature leaf drop. The insecticide recommended to control leafminers is Orthene.

The boxwood psyllid causes a characteristic cupping of the leaves followed by a general grayish, dingy, unhealthy appearance. Japanese boxwoods are the least susceptible to this mite. Control with dimethoate.

A severe infestation of Japanese wax scale detracts from the overall appearance because of the numerous white scales and honeydew that is excreted causing a black fungus called sooty mold. Malathion may be used to control wax scales.

Old, established plantings can have a multitude of problems. Aside from the insects and diseases associated with old plantings, one needs to evaluate the overall health, size and shape of the planting. As boxwoods get older, especially American Boxwood, they can get rather large.

Severe pruning on an unhealthy, non vigorous plant can destroy it and recovery may be slow (death may result) after severe pruning.

Don't Forget the Perennial "Jungle"
There is no group of plants more versatile, durable and attractive than herbaceous perennials. Sometimes they get too versatile and durable. Many of the herbaceous perennials will need cutting back or staked, as the growth since spring may be getting too large.

Unpruned plants are good candidates to be blown over in a thunderstorm. Also a good summer trim will encourage new growth and possibly more flower buds for late summer or fall. Several plants to consider for midsummer clean-up are: Tansy, Hollyhocks, Mexican Bush Sage, Santolina, Comfry, Catnip, Queen Anne's Lace, Fennel and Thyme. Remember to keep a 3-4 inch layer of an orgnic mulch throughout the perennial border. Also keep any insect pests under control and fertilize if necessary.

Summer Watering Practices in the Landscape:
One of the first signs of drought stress in ornamentals and turf is wilting. This is the case for plants in non-irrigated areas. Many of our favorite plants show drought related symptoms differently. The leves of some plants may exhibit marginal leaf burn or leaf scorching while others will simply wilt. An extended period without moisture can become a permanent, non-reversible situation.

There are several plants that are typically grown in many landscapes that we can use as indicator plants. These plants wilt readily and are usually the first ones to show drought stress. They are azaleas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, most annuals and turf.

When these plants begin to look thirsty, you should have a plan to get water to the roots. A hand-helf hose is probably the fastest plan of action but may not be the best method.

If you are growing summer color plants in containers, it will be to your advantage to keep a water saucer under the pot. Pots will not dry out so quickly. It will also help to add peat moss and soil to the pine bark media to hold moisture. Be sure to mix the amendments together thoroughly before planting. Watering frequency will be greatly reduced.