Adding New Plants as Part of the Mid-Summer Gardening Refresh

I love visiting nurseries in mid-to-late summer. The aisles are finally quiet. I look for some annuals to tuck into my slightly tired containers and window boxes. Many shrubs and perennial plants go on sale as we approach the end of the season. That’s a good time to take a chance on something new. Mid-summer nursery shopping can be a three-for. You can stock your cart for a fraction of the cost, add some fresh color to the garden, and try something new. It’s exactly what is needed to stave off mid-summer boredom. Perennials like sedum, Russian sage, and rudbeckia are all good choices for late summer color, and they’ll keep coming back year-after-year. Fill in any gaps with annual plants such as verbena, alyssum, and nicotiana will prevent your garden from looking tired before its time.

Zinnias, Sedums (buds about to bloom), and Russian Sage – photo by Sarah Marcheschi

Make Fresh Mulch Part of the Mid-Summer Garden Refresh

Once you’ve weeded, deadheaded, and spruced up your outdoor spaces with some new plants, it may be time to add a little fresh mulch. All that digging and traipsing through the garden has probably resulted in some of the wood chips being scattered around, and your plants – new and old — will fare much better in the late summer heat with a fresh layer of mulch to keep the soil cool and moist. If you still can, use the same mulch laid down earlier in the year. It will blend with the mulch already there as it ages an weathers.

The Wrap on the Mid-Summer Garden Refresh

Extend the joy and beauty of your garden with a mid-summer refresh. Three It’s a bit of work – perhaps made a bit unpleasant with high temperatures and humidity. But the rewards are great. Not only will the garden look better for the remainder of this season, but much of what you do this summer will bring benefits next season, too.