Garden Club Sales Event
This summer's garden club appreciation night is on Thursday night, July 17th, 6 PM to 9 PM. Join us for sales exclusively for members!

Enjoy wine sampling, root beer floats and entertainment as you shop. Receive huge discounts on all you can pack into one cart.

At 7:30, join us for a toast to "Another 80 years with Sargent's" and receive a balloon that contains another August discount or giveaway.

Wear your EAT. SLEEP. GARDEN. t-shirt if you have one!
If you don't, enjoy this coupon for an extra $4 OFF.
Garden Club Members already get $2 OFF. $6 OFF total!

PRINT. CUT. REDEEM. Now through August. Print Version

July Garden Care Tips
Garden Care in the month of July usually means extra watering efforts. Keep an eye on your annuals, perennials, and even shrubs. The appropriate 1" of rain a week rarely reaches our gardens. While you're at it, water with Miracle Gro Fertilizer. A dose of Miracle Gro could be watered in as much as once a week. The key to a good and worth while watering regiment is to water at the base of the plant, leaving it there long enough to soak the root systems. It's better to water once a week, very deeply than to water a little bit each day. Container plantings may need daily watering in the hot summer days though. Avoid short frequent watering. It's far better to water less often, more deeply. If you're spending some time outside, playing with your pet, drop the hose in the middle of the garden and let it run in a general area for 5-10 minutes at a time. If you choose to water with a sprinkler, let it run for a good 3-4 hours! Shorter amounts of time will not be sufficient. Of course all gardens absorb differently, but this can be used as a general guide.

As I care for my client's gardens I've been noticing problems with slugs. The quarter inch holes within hosta leaves, wave petunias and endless other plants are generally caused by slugs. To remedy the stress that these slugs have on our plants you'll need to rid of the slugs. A great product that I use, is Slug Magic. It's safe to use around pets and wildlife. Sprinkle the small pellets around the base of the plant. A second option would be to mulch with red pine needles. Slugs struggle to maneuver on this mulch, minimizing their damage. Sargent's carries "Pine Straw" in a baled form. It's the top mulch choice for our lead designer, Julie Peterson.

Pruning your shrubs is a great way to tidy up your gardens. I lead the trimming and garden maintenance crew at Sargent's and we've been busy trimming lilacs and mugo pines over the last few weeks. After this point I'd recommend not to prune either of these until next June. If you have a large-overgrown lilac and need to control it's size, it will survive a drastic trimming at this point, as long as you know it won't bloom next year. Spirea are just coming into bloom. I advise you to sheer those AFTER you've enjoyed the first round of blossoms. It's a pity to trim those too early.

There are still plenty of shrubs to trim at this point. If your burning bush is healthy it has put out a lot of new growth by now. The amount you sheer off depends on the maturity of your shrub. If it's massive I generally hand-prune out the larger growths. If your shrub is rather young a sheering of 4-8" is generally called for. Many of the hedges such as cotoneaster and alpine currant area ready to be sheered. Sea Green Junipers need to be hand pruned now and again later this summer to maintain a controlled size.

Pruning has a great deal of variation to it relating to the variety, the maturity, and according to you, our client's taste. Some prefer a tight, formal trimming and others prefer a more natural shape. If you'd like for us to take care of your trimming do give me a call! Anne Matzek, Landscape Maintenance 651-388-3847

Preparing for Yard Parties
If you're hosting a Fourth of July party you definitely want your yard to look it's best! Tidy up with the following suggestions.

Rid of pesky weeds in your lawn.  We recommend Fertilome Weed Free Zone to kill broadleaf weeds in the lawn.  It kills tough weeds like Creeping Charlie even on the first spray and is safe for the lawn. 

A yard party is a good excuse to buy that piece of garden art, statuary, fountain, or bench you’ve been wanting. Add a spark to the garden with a unique sitting area or conversation piece.

Remove all water sprouts or suckers that are growing from the base of trees.

Plant colorful annuals in open, non-blooming areas of your perennial garden.

Add colorful annuals in planters along your deck or patio.

Add a new layer of mulch to your gardens. It will even out the color and smother out small weeds.

Spray for mosquitoes. We carry a product that attaches to the hose. Spray your entire yard area to prevent mosquito eggs from hatching.

Trim out any dead or brown branches from your shrubs and evergreens.

Spray within sidewalk cracks.

Happy Entertaining!