▪ Many plants are easily propagated by layering. Hydrangeas, viburnums, weigela, trumpet honeysuckle, Carolina jessamine, and climbing roses are a few that will root if the stems are fastened down and covered with soil.

▪ Start planning your fall vegetable garden. Late July is the time to start seeding your winter broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts to be transplanted into the garden in mid-August.

▪ Raise the height of your mower to reduce stress on your lawn and to conserve moisture in the ground. For best results, mow 2 inches for Bermuda grass, 1 to 2 inches for Zoysia and 2.5 to 3 inches for fescue.

▪ July is a good month to prune “bleeder” trees like maples, dogwood, elm and birch and other trees that “bleed” when pruned in winter.

▪ Give your chrysanthemums and aster a last pinching no later mid-July.

▪ Keep your perennials deadheaded so they will continue to flower. Be sure to remove the fading flower down to a leaf node or new bud.

▪ Cut back early planted annuals that are getting leggy or out of control by one-third to keep them looking good into the fall. Give them a shot of a water-soluble fertilizer. Good candidates include impatiens, salvia, sweet potato vine, trailing or ground-cover-type petunias and herbs, like basil.

resource: The UT Gardens