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.

PRUNING:
o 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.

o 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.

o Continue to shear formal hedges.

o 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.

o The other professional approach is to limb up from the ground and accentuate the `tree look'.

o 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.

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

Lawns:
o Irrigate warm seasoned grasses at this time of year as needed. Most lawns will need 1 and 1/2" 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 Watch for chinch bugs in St. Augustine grass and be prepared to apply pyrethroids 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 seasoned grasses with 1/2 to 1 pound of actual nitrogen.
o Continue to mow at the proper heights for the various grasses.
Centipede grass 1.0 - 1.5"
St Augustine grass 2.5 - 3.0"
Bermuda grass .75 -1.25"
Zoysia grass .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.