There are a number of things  you can do  now to keep the garden looking neat.
Evergreens such as cedars, spruce, and junipers can be sheared over the next few weeks. Shearing yearly will keep them looking neat, full, and evenly shaped. When shearing evergreens, only shear into the new growth as this will promote new growth. The older hard wood will not produce new shoots.

Early flowering shrubs such as lilacs, forsythia, honeysuckle, viburnum, weigela, mock orange and caragana, are pruned right after they have finished blooming. All these early bloomers set next years flowers, this season which is why they are not pruned in early spring as you don’t want to remove the flowers.

Roses will produce more blooms if the old finished flowers are removed before they can form rose hips. Rose hips take a lot of energy away from the plant that could be better used in producing more blooms.

Remove suckers off of deciduous trees. Suckers are the branches that are produced at the base of the tree and only take energy away from the tree and ruin the appearance.

Thin out apples on apple trees. Too many apples on a branch can eventually break the branch and thinning and spacing the immature apples now, will result in large healthy fruit when it it time to harvest. Thin fruit to 1-2 apples per cluster, spaced 15-20 cm apart.

Thin vegetable crops. Don’t throw out those young spinach, lettuce and beet plants as they make tasty salads!

Its still not too late to plant an extra row of spinach, lettuce, radishes for a late summer crop.

Hanging baskets, and container planters should be fertilized weekly with a flowering plant fertilizer such as 12-36-12. While fertilizing don’t forget to remove all finished flowers, and any damaged or broken foliage and stems

Keep lawns green and healthy by fertilizing them regularly with a good quality lawn fertilizer. Slow release fertilizers tend to last 6-8 weeks depending on soil type and weather.

Flower beds, and vegetable gardens should be fertilized regularly. Keep them weed-free and water deeply once a week depending on conditions. It is much better to water deeply and for a longer period of time, rather than frequently as you want to promote deep root systems.

Check plants weekly for any signs of distress due to pests or disease and treat the problem quickly before it spreads.

It is never too late to plant trees, shrubs, and perennials. Fill in any of those empty spaces with something new. There is still a great selection to choose from!

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates  two Art Knapp Home and Garden Centres in Prince George:

• Highway 16 west at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road