Organic Gardening News

Just as outdoor living season gets into full swing, Australian homeware company Porter Green’s portable silicone drinkware is now available in Canada.

Created by sisters Jane Cox and Mary Warnest, the stylish, yet practical collection is made in Australia. Cox says the collection is “durable and designed to go wherever life takes you.” We caught up with Cox to find out more.

Q: For anyone not familiar with the brand, what is Porter Green?

Porter Green is a women-owned, family business based in Melbourne, Australia. Our signature drinkware is lightweight, unbreakable and effortlessly portable. Made from FDA-approved food-grade silicone, the glasses are aspirational in esthetic but highly functional. Dishwasher safe, reusable and stain resistant, they’re also odourless and flavourless so they don’t taint the flavour of what you’re drinking.

Q: How has the brand evolved since 2018?

Mary and I have been in the industry for decades, and we’ve had very successful products in the past, but nothing to rival the Porter Green collection.

We’re now stocked in over 1,500 outlets internationally including feted stores such as Galeries Lafayette in Paris and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice.

Q: What sets it apart from the rest?

We’re renowned for our colour palettes and the clean, modern lines of our silhouettes. We design all our products in Australia. It’s a labour of love and our team often has very passionate debates about new designs and colours. We intentionally include both neutrals and brights to fit seamlessly into any setting.

Q: Who is the target customer?

It’s designed to meet the needs of someone who wants a stylish, yet functional product that alleviates the hassle of broken glass.

The product is so versatile — think pool, beach, outdoor entertaining, boating, camping, bachelorette parties, on the lake or snowmobile.

Q: Is there a customer a favourite and why do you think it resonates?

Our swepp long-stemmed wine glass is also a firm favourite. It was chosen to be featured in this year’s Super Bowl LX Gifting Suite as well as a recent Hard Rock VIP. It has metal in its stem for stability and, with a capacity of 480 ml, it’s also very versatile.

Q: What is the price range?

The drinkware collection retails between $30 and $60.

Q: Where can people find your products?

The Porter Green Canada website (portergreen.ca) stockist page lists local stores, or purchase directly from the site.

Q: What can you share about your arrival in Canada?

We have wonderful distributors here who have a family business not unlike ours, so there is real synergy. They bought the product for themselves and loved it so much they approached us to distribute the collection here.

The collection has had immediate traction, and it’s wonderful to have had such a successful launch.

Related

• Wildflower Mercantile's new in-house collection inspired by founder's garden
• Mud Australia opens first Canadian retail showcase at Hopson Grace

Weeding is one of those gardening jobs that you hate, but alas, it must be done. You’ll hate it even more if you’ve been doing it bent down with a cheap trowel, frantically pulling before your back gives out. However, you’ll be relieved to hear there are tools specifically designed to make this miserable takes much less loathsome. With the right tool, you can make weeding faster, more bearable, and in some cases (I’m looking at you pyromaniacs) genuinely enjoyable.

Whether you’re dealing with those annoying dandelions that are cute but take over your entire lawn, weeds that creep through the cracks of your patio, or a summer bed that got away from you while you were on vacation, there’s a tool on this list to help you get the job done.

We’ve rounded up the best you can order online right now, from the satisfyingly old-fashioned to the honestly quite unhinged (in the best way, of course). If you want a broader overview, check out our guide to the best weeding tools before you add anything to your cart.

Grampa's Weeder - the Original Stand Up Weed Puller

If your knees and back protest with exhaustion ever time you so much as think about weeding, this is the tool for you. Despite being invented in 1913, it’s still one of the most effective weed removers on the market.

Grampa's Weeder uses a four-claw lever design to grip weeds by the root (which is exactly what you want). You just place it over the weed, step on the footpad, lean on the handle, and out it comes, root and all. No bending, no kneeling, and certainly no chemicals. It works best on softer soil (especially after rain), and it's particularly satisfying on dandelions. Over 100 years later, it still gets rave reviews, which really makes you think of the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Fiskars Ergo Weeder Tool

Sometimes you need a bit more precision, especially if you’re working in flower beds and don’t want to destroy your other plants. This Fiskars hand weeder has a cast-aluminum angled head, which gives you real leverage in tough soil, while the ergonomic SoftGrip handle is designed to reduce wrist and hand fatigue. This is great because it means you can actually keep going without your hand cramping up twenty minutes in. It’s rust-resistant, built to last, and has a hang hole for storage so you'll never lose it in the shed again (as long as it’s organized).

Vego Garden Hori Hori Garden Knife

The Hori Hori is the Swiss Army knife of garden tools, and this seriously leans into that identity. It has 10 different functions all packed into a single stainless steel blade: flat edge, serrated edge, depth ruler, shovel, bottle opener, and multiple wrench sizes. For weeding specifically, the dual-edge blade lets you slice through roots cleanly, and the full-tang handle (injected directly into the blade) means it won't bend or break even in that super tough soil. It comes with a thick leather sheath you can clip to your belt, which is either very practical or very cool depending on your gardening personality. Probably both?

Zassou Tawashi Crevice and Sidewalk Crack Weeder

The weeds that grow between pavers and driveway cracks sure do win the award for most annoying, especially since no normal tool can reach them. But let me introduce you to the Japanese-made crack weeder from Nisaku. The corrugated stainless steel blade is specifically shaped to fit into tight crevices and get out weeds at the root. The craziest part is that it’s not some giant tool; it's small enough to fit in your pocket. Made by master blade craftsmen using authentic Tomita steel (the same manufacturer that's been making garden tools since 1960). It's one of those tools you didn't know you needed until you've used it once, and then you wonder how you ever lived without it.

Flame King Propane Torch Kit

Yes, this is technically setting weeds on fire, which is super cool if you like that sort of thing. And yes, it works brilliantly. The Flame King propane torch puts out 340,000 BTU, which, in less scientific terms, is enough to heat weeds to the point of cell destruction, killing them without chemicals and without any pulling. It's especially effective on driveways, gravel paths, and patio gaps, and the ten-foot hose means you're not dragging a propane tank around your whole garden.

A few important caveats though: use it in the early morning or evening when conditions are calm, keep water nearby, and don't use it during dry spells or anywhere near dry mulch or grass. Used sensibly, it's one of the most satisfying weeding experiences available. Used carelessly, it's a different kind of problem entirely.

Hoss Stirrup Hoe

This Long-Handled Hoe Weeder is made in the USA with a powder-coated steel frame and 60-inch ash handle. On top of that, this is one of the best-reviewed stirrup hoes on the market. The blade oscillates 20 degrees in both directions so it cuts on the push and the pull, meaning you can quickly work on large weedy beds without needing to bend over once.

Cobrahead® Long Handle Weeder

The CobraHead Long Handled Weeder is a cult-favorite single-tine weeder that many gardeners swear by. The curved forged steel blade acts like a steel fingernail, getting under weeds and popping them out root-first with crazy accurate precision, and the 54-inch hardwood handle means you stay upright the whole time (always a win for your back).

Are you looking for a carefree summer annual with non-stop blooms for a shady area? If you haven’t tried it yet, now is the perfect time to indulge in Dragon Wing begonias to fill out hanging baskets and containers. The large, green leaves; semi-trailing stems; and pendulous flowers in red, pink, or white are ideal for container culture.

The Dragon Wing begonia series (Begonia hybrida ‘Dragon Wing’) is a garden staple that performs best in partial shade, but also thrives in full sun or full shade. If planted in full sun, it appreciates some afternoon shade in the warmer zones. While it is only hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11, dragon wing begonia is easily overwintered.

I have a shady porch that cries out for begonia varieties, and I usually alternate between dragon wing begonias and the BIG Series wax begonias. They are both trouble free and do well in any light. They simply are must-haves for shady areas where you want low-maintenance, showy blooms that keep on coming.

What Is a Dragon Wing Begonia?

Dragon wing is a cross between an 'Angel Wing' begonia and either a wax begonia or a species begonia, resulting in vigorous traits and superb heat tolerance. It grows from 12 to 18 inches tall and wide (30 to 46 cm), with fleshy stems and 5-inch (13 cm) glossy, green leaves shaped like dragon wings (hence its name). There is also a bronze leaf cultivar.

This shade-loving annual prefers moderate-to-fertile, moist, but well-drained soil. dragon wing begonias can tolerate a short amount of drought as well as juglone, the chemical produced by black walnut trees that causes nearby plants to fail.

Dragon wing begonias are fairly common at garden centers these days, but if you can't find any in person they're available online as live plants from Planet Desert or you can grow them from seeds from Burpee.

(Image credit: Andrei Antipov / Getty Images)Planting Dragon Wing Begonias

Feature dragon wing begonias in containers, hanging baskets, window baskets, landscape beds, or even indoors for a stunning display of colorful flowers and glossy foliage. Choose containers with several drainage holes to ensure excess water is easily drained. If your containers don’t have adequate drainage holes, you can add them with a screwdriver or a drill.

Plant dragon wing begonias in a fertile, well-draining potting mix, like Content Editor Laura's favorite Miracle-Gro mix. Avoid heavy garden soils that may promote stem or root rot. Make sure the plant is not too deep in the soil or it may get stem rot. The crown (where the stems meet the roots) should be at the soil line.

Fertilize begonias when planting with a balanced liquid fertilizer such as 20-20-20, or with a slow-release fertilizer. They will need regular feeding to keep the blooms coming all summer and fall. An organic bloom-boosting fertilizer like this one from Espoma is a great choice.

When growing dragon wing begonias in containers and hanging baskets, one plant soon fills a 10-inch (25 cm) pot. For a 12-inch (30 cm) and wider container, start with three plants.

These flowers look stunning on their own, but if you want to add another plant, choose a spiller plant such as the delicate blooming bacopa, chartreuse creeping Jenny, silver-leafed dichondra or dusty miller, or chartreuse sweet potato vine.

(Image credit: Laura Walters / Future)Companion Plants

Eco+Grande 'Snowstorm Blue' Bacopa Plants

These beautiful purple-blue bacopa plants look great with pink dragon wing begonias.

Dusty Miller Plants

Add a little shine to containers with silver-leafed dusty miller plants like these.

'Margarita' Sweet Potato Vine Plants

Sweet potato vines look so gorgeous spilling out of containers and their lime green leaves make dragon wings pop.

Dragon Wing Begonia Care

Dragon wing begonias, like all begonias, prefer moist, well-drained soil. It is important, however, not to oversaturate the plants or leave them standing in water. Water begonias when the soil is dry about an inch (2.5 cm) below the soil line.

If you're growing begonias in pots or hanging baskets, they need watering more often than those in the ground. During the heat of summer, check the pots daily for dryness. Whether in the ground or in pots, adding a layer of mulch around the plants will insulate them and help prevent moisture loss.

Feed dragon wing begonias regularly, about every two to three weeks if using a diluted liquid fertilizer and every two to three months if using a slow release granular form, but follow the instructions on the package. Formulas such as 20-20-20 work well, or for an added bloom booster, the middle number (phosphorus) can be higher, such as 15-30-15. Stop fertilizing in late summer so the plant can prepare for winter.

Since the dragon wing begonia is a sterile hybrid that doesn’t produce seeds, it focuses all its attention on flowering. Not only is that a bonus to gardeners, but these everblooming plants are self-cleaning, which means you don’t need to deadhead (cut off the faded blooms). Though little pruning is needed, you may want to trim them for shape now and then or reduce leggy stems.

(Image credit: Laura Walters / Future)Common Problems

Diseases to watch out for include botrytis blight, powdery mildew, and pythium root and stem rot. Preventing fungal diseases is key. Avoid watering the leaves and clean up fallen debris in the containers. Avoid heavy garden soil or overwatering. Ensure plenty of air flow between plant foliage.

Pests such as mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies can be troublesome, but a blast of water from the hose will reduce their numbers. Also, remove any heavily infested leaves. Follow that with neem oil, which you can get on Amazon, sprayed on the leaves and stems if needed.

Also note that begonias are toxic to pets and horses. They contain soluble calcium oxalates, however, most of the toxic parts are in underground roots and tubers.

(Image credit: YangYin / Getty Images)Overwintering

If you enjoyed the dragon wing cultivar you chose this summer, you can overwinter begonias indoors. Cut the containerized plant back by about a third and check it for pests. A blast of water should dislodge any freeloaders. Bring it inside and place it near a bright window. Do not fertilize and water much less than you did outside.

If you don’t want to bring a container plant indoors for winter, you can take 4-inch (10 cm) cuttings to root in water or potting soil to propagate begonias to grow on next year. Wait until the threat of frost is past in the spring before moving your plants back outside. Resume watering and fertilizing and, before you know it, your dragon wing begonia will be back!

If there's one person I always look to for effortlessly outdoorsy style, it's Kate Middleton. Whether she's visiting a garden, walking the countryside or taking on a charity challenge, the Princess of Wales has a knack for dressing for the elements without ever looking like she's trying too hard.

Another reason I keep an eye on her wardrobe? Well, I find it oddly refreshing to see how often she rewears her favourite pieces. Rather than chasing trends, Kate has built a wardrobe around high-quality outdoor essentials that work season after season – a philosophy that's just as sensible for gardeners in the market for protective clothing as it is for princesses.

That all came to a head for me during Kate Middleton's recent Three Peaks Challenge, which saw her raise some serious money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Spending long days outdoors in the height of summer demands clothing that's lightweight, breathable and practical, and every piece of hot-weather gear that Kate chose ticked those boxes and then some.

I Love Kate Middleton's Hot-Weather Gear

The more I looked at Kate Middleton's outfit for this challenge, the more I realised it would make for some pretty stunning gardening clothes, too (at least, it definitely would for me!).

Think about it; whether you're deadheading roses, weeding borders or hauling compost around on a hot afternoon, the same features that make clothing comfortable on a mountain – moisture-wicking fabrics, sun protection and freedom of movement – are just as valuable in the garden.

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

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So, if you're wondering what to wear while gardening during a heatwave (especially as a dress made of ice cubes isn't an option), I'd happily suggest you make like me and take inspiration from Kate Middleton's outfit. Especially as most of the key pieces are available on Amazon, making it surprisingly easy to recreate her timeless outdoorsy vibe.

1. Fjällräven Abisko Wool Top

If there's one piece I'd beg, borrow, and steal from Kate Middleton's outfit first, it's her Fjällräven Abisko top.

Fjällräven Abisko Women's Short Sleeve Wool Shirt

Warm when it’s cold, comfortably cool when it’s hot? Add this to your gardening wadrobe, stat!

Made from a lightweight merino wool blend, it's naturally breathable, moisture-wicking and odor-resistant – all qualities that make a real difference when you're gardening in warm weather.

The golden goose, though? Why, the fact that it also regulates body temperature surprisingly well, helping you stay comfortable whether you're working in full sun or desperately trying to stick to pruning into the shade.

2. HydraPak Polar Sport Insulated Water Bottle

It's easy to lose track of how much water you're drinking when you're immersed in the garden, especially during a heatwave. Don't be that person, and be sure to keep a bottle to hand.

HydraPak Polar Sport Insulated Water Bottle

Effortless to hold and squeeze, this bottle is a brilliant way to keep water to hand when you're busy working outdoors.

Kate Middleton's insulated Polar Sport bottle helps keep water cooler for longer, making it much easier to stay hydrated through an afternoon of pruning, planting or watering.

3. The North Face Summit Series Pacesetter Shorts

Gardening involves more bending, stretching and kneeling than most workouts, so comfortable shorts are a must.

North Face Women’s Summit Series Pacesetter 3'' Shorts

This lightweight fabric doesn't just stretch with you as you move; it is engineered to dry quickly, making it ideal for outdoor tasks.

Kate Middleton's lightweight running shorts are on the pricier side, sure, but they are designed to move with you while drying quickly if you work up a sweat, making them an unexpectedly practical choice for summer gardening.

4. Fjällräven Logo Cap

No summer gardening outfit feels complete without a good cap; it keeps you from squinting into the sun, for starters, and it helps keep the sensitive skin of your face shaded, too.

Fjällräven Fjällräven Est 1960 Cap Hat Unisex

Practical enough for the garden, stylish enough for a trip into town? All hail this chic logo cap!

Naturally, Kate Middleton doesn't just do the classic baseball cap; she wore a stylish Fjällräven version during the challenge. Which means, yes, you can ooze understated Scandinavian vibes while helping shade your face from the strongest midday sun.

5. SCARPA Terra GTX Hiking Boots

These are probably the one item I'd reserve for heavier jobs rather than everyday gardening. If you're clearing brambles, moving paving slabs or tackling uneven ground, supportive hiking boots offer excellent grip and protection.

SCARPA Women's Terra Gtx Waterproof Gore-Tex Boots

Whether you're a hardcore hiker or just like to take the odd walk in the woods, these boots are a brilliant way to dress for the occasion.

Oh sure, Kate Middleton favors a stylish pair of hiking boots from Scarpa. Still, I'd be tempted to swap them for a pair of breathable garden clogs for lighter summer jobs.

Look, as I've said already, what I like most about Kate's outdoor wardrobe isn't that it's fashionable, but that it's functional. Instead of buying separate outfits for every activity, she invests in well-made pieces that can be worn again and again, whether she's walking, hiking or spending time outdoors.

That's an approach more gardeners could embrace. A breathable merino top, comfortable shorts, a reliable cap and a reusable water bottle aren't just useful for summer hikes or trips to the gym; they'll serve you just as well when you're spending a sunny weekend in the garden.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some hot-weather gear to add to basket. I'll see you on the other side...

July isn’t a month we usually associate with pruning, but there are a few popular garden perennials that rely on a midsummer cut. And we're not talking deadheading here, but vital plant-shaping, health-giving pruning. Skip this essential July gardening job, and you’ll get far fewer flowers next year, and less fruit, too.

While most plants need pruning just as they awaken from dormancy in late winter or early spring, early-flowering shrubs and vines and many fruit trees need a chop in July. A midsummer snip channels all their energy into growing flowers and fruit, so you’ll get bigger crops and more abundant blooms. A quick chop now also improves air circulation through the plant and allows more sunlight in to ripen this summer’s new stems that will carry next year’s flowers.

And don’t worry, it doesn't take long. Pruning in July is a far quicker, easier task than the fundamental early-spring trim, though no less critical. Everything you need to know to do a great job is right here; I've included product links to a certain national retailer so you can see exactly which tools I'm talking about, but do support your local retailers. Do wait until this current heatwave has eased, too, as pruning puts extra stress on plants – and you! And be sure to give your plants a good water afterwards, to help them recover quickly.

What to Prune in July1. Wisteria

(Image credit: marc chesneau / Getty Images)

This vigorous vine needs pruning twice a year. While a heavy prune in winter chops wisteria back to a strong framework, the midsummer trim is what sets it up to flower well next year.

Wisteria grows its glorious flowers on wood that was grown the previous summer. So right now, you need to channel the vine’s energy into flowerbuds, rather than leaving it to focus on all those long straggly stems (known as whips) it’s currently throwing out. Pruning a wisteria in July is straightforward: simply reduce all those whips to five buds or leaf stalks. At this time of year those stems will be soft and green so it’s a quick job with a pair of super-sharp pruning scissors like these from Amazon. If you have a mature wisteria, rather than getting the ladder out, a pair of loppers with telescopic handles like these, also from Amazon, makes life easy.

Snip off any remnants of flower stems and seedpods dangling down, too.

Forget to prune wisteria in July and all the leaves that grow on those whips will block the sunlight that’s needed to ripen the wood sufficiently for it to grow flowerbuds. This trim also steers the vine’s energy into growing the fattest buds at the base of the stems, and keeps its vigorous growth under control.

2. Mock Orange

(Image credit: Mikhail Davidovich / Getty Images)

Early July is your last chance to prune mock orange (Philadelphus) as next year’s flowers grow on this year’s stems. It isn’t essential to prune mock orange every year but a trim will help to keep this shrub healthy and a manageable size. Cut back the branches by about a third, selecting the oldest, woodiest stems to remove, and chop any dead stems at ground level.

Established mock orange stems can get pretty woody so you’ll find it easier to use a pair of curved anvil pruners such as these from Amazon. With anvil pruners, only the top blade does the cutting, rather like a knife on a bread board, whereas both blades on bypass pruners cut, like scissors do. With tough, woody branches, anvil pruners do a better job of cutting without crushing.

Another good option for removing mature stems, especially at ground level, is a pair of loppers such as these from Amazon, as the longer handles allow you to create a greater force. Powered, cordless pruners such as this well-priced pair from Amazon will make light work of it, too, slicing through stems up to 1½ inches thick.

3. Boxwood

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It’s a good idea to add trimming boxwood shrubs (Buxus) to your list of July gardening jobs. Fresh boxwood growth is tender, so pruning now gives stems and foliage plenty of time to toughen up before winter arrives. It also brings the opportunity to inspect your shrub closely for any signs of damaging insects and boxwood blight, as they're often triggered by summer heat and require swift preventative measures.

All you need do is remove any stray stems that are breaking free from the shape you want in a summer growth spurt, using a pair of bypass pruning shears such as these from Amazon. Resist the temptation to shear the foliage into a neat shape, as removing that shell of sun-hardened leaves will expose softer, more easily scorched growth underneath, and you’ll likely be left with an unsightly brown – albeit still very much alive – bush.

Be sure to disinfect your pruner blades, ideally between each cut but definitely between plants, by dipping them into isopropyl alcohol like this from Amazon, to avoid spreading disease.

4. Rambling Roses

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Unless your rambling rose is a rebloomer, these climbers should be on your list of plants to prune in July. Typically flowering once in June, rambling roses are vigorous growers so a trim now will keep them in shape as well as encourage lots of flowers on healthy new growth next summer.

A pair of long handled loppers like these from Amazon is your best bet to prune roses, both to reach high stems and to keep your hands away from thorns. Do wear protective gauntlet gloves such as these from Amazon anyway, as rambling roses don’t care to be pruned without a little retaliation!

Do be brutal as some rambling rose varieties can put on 15 feet of new growth in a year, creating a tangle of stems and leaving next year’s flowers well above head height where you won’t appreciate their fragrance to the full. Remove a third of the oldest stems, then trim side shoots by two thirds.

5. Apple Trees

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While these fruit trees have their main prune while they're dormant, apple trees will currently be taking advantage of the warm conditions to grow fresh new, straggly stems. Removing this will keep the tree’s focus on growing fruit but also improve air circulation to deter fungal disease and allow more sunlight in for a sweeter harvest.

If you spot any suckers emerging from the base of the apple tree, remove these as low as possible, ideally at the root. Get rid of water sprouts (fast-growing vertical stems that shoot up from the branches), too, snipping them off at the point they emerge.

A pair of hand pruners such as these from Amazon will slice easily through this soft growth, or use loppers like these, also from Amazon. If you’re pruning multiple trees, do disinfect blades in between with isopropyl alcohol like this from Amazon, to avoid spreading disease.

6. Lilac

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Lilac should be pruned as soon as possible after the shrub has finished flowering. That’s because next year’s flowers will form on stems grown this year – wait too long to prune it, and you risk chopping off those buds. Whichever zone you’re in, your lilac shrubs will be done flowering by July, so if you haven’t pruned it already, start by snipping off all the spent flowers.

Lilac shrubs tend to bloom best on stems that are up to five or six years old – any older than this and they’ll only flower at the stem tips. So, by cutting out some of the more mature stems that are more than 2 inches thick, you’ll keep the shrub flowering at its best. A pruning saw such as this from Amazon makes light work of cutting through thick, woody stems.

Don’t remove any more than a third of growth though. Cut off any weak suckers at ground level, too, using loppers or hand pruners.

7. Plum, Damson and Cherry trees

(Image credit: Getty Images)

These stone fruit trees can’t be pruned in winter or spring because of the deadly threat of silver leaf disease. Pruning in late July cuts the risk, and encourages the tree to get busy growing buds that will eventually produce next year’s fruit, rather than lots more leaves.

All you need do to prune these fruit trees in July is shorten long new leafy stems to around five or six leaves from the branch they’re growing from. Leave any new growth shorter than a handspan be.

Always Prune to the Three Ds

Whenever you’re pruning, be it summer, winter or spring, take the opportunity to remove dead, damaged or diseased stems, known as the three Ds of pruning. And don’t worry, even if you’re a beginner gardener and this is your first time pruning. As long as you don’t remove more than a third of a plant’s growth, you’re highly unlikely to kill it, and while there are a few pruning mistakes best avoided, this is a learning process and most plants are very forgiving.

Garden blooms today always seem more important than garden flowers tomorrow. But most gardeners are willing to cut back fading flowers in July to allow new, perfect blooms to grow in.

By July, a perennial garden in full bloom may be starting to fade a bit around the edges. Mainstay plants like roses, hydrangeas and dahlias may have blooms that are overblown, faded or wilting. It may be time for a haircut. Another name for a plant trim in July is deadheading. It’s a colorful term for snipping off blossoms to benefit the plant. In some cases, we deadhead to prevent or delay seed formation, but in July, the primary purpose of deadheading flowers is to get a second wave of blooms.

Grab your favorite pair of pruners (our Editor in Chief Melanie swears by her Felco 2 pruners that can be found on Amazon) and get snipping! Here are five plants to deadhead in July for repeat blooms all summer long.

1. Roses

(Image credit: Maryviolet / Getty Images)

Let’s start with the queen of the flower garden – the rose bush. Despite their difficult-to-grow reputation, most of us have roses in our garden and still get those thrills when the buds open in spring. Deadheading roses is not a universal rule. If your roses drop their blooms and rebloom after that, they are termed “self-cleaning” and do not need deadheading.

But all the others do better with deadheading, not once, not twice, but regularly throughout the summer. You will doubtless see roses fading in July, and – assuming your species is not self-cleaning – deadheading is just the thing to keep your roses looking beautiful.

Deadheading roses is not a complex garden task. Use clean, sterilized pruners and make a cut on the diagonal just above a five-leaflet stem.

2. Salvias

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Unlike roses, salvias tend to spread, so, by July, you are more likely to have 30 blooms than 3. The flower spikes of this tough perennial provide a full-service dining area for a wide range of pollinators including the big three, bees, butterflies and hummers. But by July, the first crop of bright flowers are very likely on the decline.

You want the salvia “blossom factory” producing the vibrant blue and purple blossoms, and deadheading your salvia is the key. Snipping now will not just keep the blossoms coming, it will also make the plant bushier, neater, and stop seed production.

Select declining, leggy, flopping or wilting flower spikes and prune them back with a sterilized pruner. Deadhead flower spikes by cutting the stems back. You want to take off most of the stem, making the cut just above a set of leaves.

3. Hydrangeas

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Are your hydrangeas reblooming? If so, you can expect more than one crop of flowers over summer, but that only works if you deadhead the faded flowers. But you don’t have to buy special cultivars to get reblooming varieties. The standard, super-popular bigleaf hydrangeas (think snowballs or lacecaps) bloom are reblooming (also called remontant) and so are mountain hydrangeas.

How does this work? These hydrangeas bloom on both old and new wood. The first flower on the wood produced the prior season. Then, once those flowers mature and fade, they bloom a second time on new, current-season wood.

Deadheading these flowers really does result in an entire new crop of gorgeous flowers. Using a sharp, clean pruner, snip off each fading blossom right above a new set of leaves. New buds will develop and mature in late summer, just as other garden flowers are calling it quits for the season.

4. Coneflowers

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Coneflowers, also known by their genus name Echinacea, are staples of the perennial garden. They are so easy to grow it seems that they grow themselves. They are known as the top flowers for rank beginners since it is almost impossible to fail. These pretty, daisy-like blooms lor coneflowers, just seem eager to grow and the blooms can last most of the growing season.

Since these colorful flowers do not usually fade in July, why should you consider deadheading? It relates to their eager ways. They reseed happily, even during summer, and can overpopulate the garden. July is a perfect time to nip this problem in the bud, so to speak. Deadheading coneflowers in July will prevent them from early reseeding.

Deadhead with sharp pruners, cleaned and sterilized. Take out the stems just above the first set of leaves and snip right above them. It’s better to deadhead in July than autumn, since the birds are happy to feast on the seeds of spent flowers in fall.

5. Dahlias

(Image credit: Amelia Martin / Shutterstock)

Dahlias might be the most beautiful summer flower you didn't know you needed! These big, lush flowers are total showstoppers and look amazing as cut flowers too. Dahlias bloom all summer long and only stop with the first night frost. The long flowering period makes these sun-lovers extremely popular.

But you can take dahlias for flower arrangements in July - and, at the same time - prolong the already long dahlia season. If the flowers are spent, call it deadheading. Pruning wilting dahlia flowers redirect the plant's energy into putting out more blooms. Otherwise, think of it as harvesting cut dahlia stems to enjoy in your home.

In either case, you’ll want to use sharp, sanitized pruners or gardening scissors. Make a diagonal cut down the stem just above a set of leaves. This type of trim allows the plant to produce new growth from the nodes, and, from that growth, even more blooms through the growing season.

Remember the very first time you used your lawn mower? Remember how easily it cut, and how great your grass looked afterwards? Do you feel like it's just not quite the same these days?

That's because it isn't! Lawn mower blades, just like any cutting tool, get dull with use, and after a season or more of mowing yours are probably well past due for a sharpening.

Dull lawn mower blades don't cleanly slice the grass. Instead they pull and tear at it, leaving behind jagged edges that make your lawn vulnerable to disease and messy looking. So it's obvious that you need to sharpen your lawn mower blades. But how best to do it?

VEVOR Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener

VEVOR Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener, 2/3hp Lawnmower Blade Grinder With 7" Ceramic Grinding Wheel and Balancer

Say hello to the VEVOR Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener (Model KH-DM04). A fully integrated, standalone electric bench grinder station, it brings commercial-grade blade restoration directly to your workshop. It's a little pricier than hand-held options, so let's take a look at what makes it worth the extra spend.

Power

At the heart of this blade sharpener is a robust 2/3 Horsepower (500-watt) motor. It runs at a steady and optimized speed, which gives you a high-torque rotational force that can grind away nicks, rust, and dullness in minutes.

A lot of shop grinders run at over 3400 RPM, which can easily overheat. But the VEVOR sharpener is precision-tuned for blade metalwork. It removes tough material quickly without overheating, and your blades get sharpened without turning blue – a tell-tale sign of ruined heat temper.

High Efficiency

Instead of traditional aluminum oxide wheels that wear down quickly, this sharpener boasts a massive 7-inch, 60-grit ceramic grinding wheel.

Ceramic abrasives are much harder, cooler-running, and more heat-resistant than standard materials. The 60-grit composition strikes the perfect balance between aggressive grinding and a clean, smooth finish. Because the 7-inch wheel offers a large contact surface area, it requires fewer passes. This ensures symmetrical grinding, minimal metal loss, and a much longer lifespan for your blades.

Vibration-Free Construction

The VEVOR blade sharpener is a heavy-duty machine. Weighing in at a substantial 33.3 lbs (15 kg) with a footprint of roughly 17 x 12.6 inches, it has an integrated Q195 steel structure and a solid base. This heavy, rigid design is intentional. It anchors the machine firmly to your workbench, completely eliminating the vibration and wobbling that plagues lighter grinders. The result is a smooth, safe, and hassle-free operation that makes it ideal for handling large batches of commercial blades.

Built-In Blade Balancer

Sharpening is only half the battle; balancing is the other. If you grind more metal off one side of a mower blade than the other, it creates an unbalanced blade. Spin this at high speeds on your lawn mower, and you can destroy spindle bearings, crack mower decks, and cause costly engine crankshaft damage. Not to mention give yourself a very bumpy mowing experience.

VEVOR addresses this critical maintenance step by including a blade balancer. Right after grinding, just drop the blade center onto the balancer to instantly check its weight distribution. This ensures a smoother ride, quieter mowing, and maximum longevity for your mower's engine.

The Final Verdict

A lawn mower is only as good as its blades, so it's essential to take good care of them. You could always get a mount for your drill, or a handheld sharpener, but at the end of the day these aren't going to guarantee the balance and precision that your lawn mower really needs. So go ahead and get the VEVOR sharpener – your lawn will thank you.

This summer's heatwave means it’s getting too hot to garden comfortably, yet your plants need extra TLC to survive the intense conditions. The solution? These pro gardening tips that will not only cut chore time but help your plants through this hot spell.

From smarter watering to avoiding heat-stressed plants, protecting rapidly ripening fruit from birds to keeping your borders flowering abundantly, these 10 pro gardening tricks mean your garden will flourish with minimal effort from you. A heatwave isn’t the time to be doing any jobs that stress plants, either, so leave your essential July pruning until this heat dome has passed. Pause July tasks that involve more work for you, too, such as sowing seeds in midsummer for a fresh burst of color, and concentrate on helping your garden survive the heat.

Once you see how much time these gardening cheats save, and how much happier your plants are, I’ll wager you stick with them even once this heatwave has passed. After all, there’s World Cup football to be watching!

1. Deter Birds With Reflective Tape

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Protecting soft fruit such as strawberries, raspberries and tomatoes from garden birds typically involves erecting a fine mesh net over your plants. It’s very effective at keeping your fruit safe but boy, it’s a faff when you need to remove the mesh so you can pick it. And in hot weather, fruit ripens so quickly, that you may find yourself having to harvest every day.

Tying strips of reflective tape such as this from Amazon to sticks or canes stuck in the ground is a great alternative to mesh. No, it won’t protect 100% of your fruit, but it does a pretty good job and it’s far cheaper and much less hassle. Freed from the mesh net, your plants will enjoy more airflow, too, meaning less stressed plants and better harvests post-heatwave.

2. Leave Lawn Clippings as a Mulch

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Those grass tips you snip off your lawn whenever you mow are packed full of nitrogen, and they can be left in place to rot down and feed your lawn for free. They’ll also act as a mulch to hold in moisture.

There are a couple of provisos: you need to mow when the grass is dry and, unless you have a mulching mode on your mower, you need to mow regularly so the clippings are short. That shouldn’t create any more work as grass growth slows in dry conditions. It’s a smart move to raise your mower height a notch, too, as slightly longer grass blades will encourage deeper roots that are better able to find moisture. Both of these are simple mowing switches that lead to a healthier lawn.

3. Plug Border Gaps With Hanging Basket Plants

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The edges of beds, and in particular raised beds, can dry out very quickly in a prolonged heatwave, making it near impossible for smaller, shallow-rooted perennial plants to survive. You may also get border gaps where perennial growth is more compact than usual due to the heat. A smart solution is to use hanging-basket plants to temporarily fill these bare spots.

Bred to survive life in the arid, exposed environment of a hanging basket and bloom profusely for months on end, these will tolerate heat where others keel over. You can use trailing petunia, calibrachoa and impatiens as groundcover or let stems cascade over raised bed edges, and if you use a bulb planter, it’s super-quick to add plug plants to your garden. Head down to your local garden center and see what bedding plants it has to offer.

4. Weed With a Stirrup Hoe

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It’s tempting to ditch weeding altogether in this heat, but believe me, those weeds will be taking full advantage of this hot weather wherever you’re watering. Not only does this mean super-speedy growth, those pesky weeds will be sucking up valuable moisture that could be helping the plants you want to grow to flourish.

The solution is to do a weekly three-minute weed with a stirrup hoe, sometimes called a scuffle hoe, like this tool from Amazon which has an adjustable handle that can be shortened for use on raised beds. A stirrup hoe has a metal loop that you pull through the soil to slice through weeds' roots, which means you can simply leave the toppled weeds where they fall. If you do this every week, it’s really effortless as the hoe head is small enough to whizz around the plants you want to keep.

5. Embrace Chop and Drop

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Chop and drop is a relatively new practice that’s become hugely popular in Europe. It simply involves cutting out the compost heap middle-man and dropping pruned plant material directly onto the soil, where it will slowly rot down and provide nutrients. While this method is primarily used when cutting down old herbaceous stems at the end of the growing season, it works equally well when you’re deadheading. So when you're snipping off faded flowers, leave them where they fall.

The benefit of this isn't just saved time, but the fallen organic material will help to reduce evaporation and lock moisture into the soil.

6. Water Earlier to Halt Evaporation

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Efficient watering is key in your efforts to help plants survive a heatwave. Irrigate your plants when the sun is high in the sky and the soil has heated up and you’ll lose between 20% and 50% of that water to evaporation. Get out the hosepipe early in the morning, when air and soil temperatures are far cooler, however, and much less water will evaporate. That means you can water for less time and your plants will enjoy the same level of hydration.

Keeping the water stream directed at the soil, rather than as a shower that covers the whole plant, also reduces evaporation.

7. Bury Flowerpots in the Ground

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Another trick you can employ to reduce the amount of time you spend watering is to make your own ollas by burying flowerpots in the ground. Pronounced ‘oh-yah’, an olla is an ancient irrigation method that buries porous vessels filled with water to slowly deliver moisture into the soil. This not only cuts evaporation to almost zero, but it’s far faster to aim the hosepipe stream into a pot than it is to try not to disturb the soil too much as it slowly absorbs the water.

Plants will naturally grow their roots towards this reliable, more consistent water source, too. Terracotta pots with saucers such as these from Amazon make great ollas and the bigger they are, the longer they’ll last between filling. Seal the drainage hole with an exterior silicone sealant such as this from Amazon, then bury with the pot rim just above the surface and use the saucer as a lid.

8. Dampen Down Your Greenhouse Every Morning

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A bucket of water thrown over the greenhouse floor, or a quick spray of the hosepipe, can save you a ton of time dealing with heat-stressed plants. As the water evaporates, it acts as a natural air conditioner, cooling the air by several degrees. This process also adds moisture to the air, which slows how quickly plants lose water through their leaves, keeping plants hydrated and less stressed, so they’re far better able to deal with all manner of threats.

Daily dampening down also deters red spider mites that typically thrive in the hot, dry air of a greenhouse and suck sap, damaging leaves and potentially killing plants.

9. De-Stress Sun-Baked Patio Pots

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Heat-stressed plants need a heap of TLC to keep them alive so, rather than fire-fighting and watering them morning, noon and night, take some preventative action to lower their needs. First, move pots into a partially shaded area to give them some respite from the sun. If that’s not possible, plant parasols such as these angle-adjustable umbrellas from Amazon can create much-needed midday shade, or hang up a sail shade.

Adding a moisture retention mix such as Miracle-Gro Water Storing Crystals, also available from Amazon, to the soil will help keep the plant hydrated between waterings, as will topping pots with clay LECA pebbles to hold onto water.

Grouping pots of plants with the same watering needs together will also save you time – both when you're watering and when you're explaining to neighbors what needs watering, when, if you’re off on vacation.

10. Grow Basil Alongside Tomatoes

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Recent research has shown that basil releases volatile compounds that prime a tomato plant’s defence mechanism. So, a tomato plant with a basil plant alongside it will react faster and more vigorously to a threat than one without. So much so, that planting basil with tomatoes can increase yield by 20%. In hot weather, plants are more susceptible to both pests and disease, so beefing up their response will save you a ton of time dealing with problems later on down the line.

Greek basil (Ocimum minimum) is the variety used in the tomato stress reponse study and seeds are available from Amazon.

11. Replace Needy Plants With Low-Maintenance Lovelies

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ok, so this isn't so much a cheat as a change of attitude – but as far as gardening tips for a heatwave go, it's perhaps the most important. More and more of us gardeners are turning towards drought-tolerant plants that practically grow themselves as trad water-dependent plants such as hydrangeas start to struggle in our increasingly hot summers. If you're wondering how to help plants survive a heatwave, then perhaps it's time you did too.

I operate a strict no-diva policy in my garden: I only add low-maintenance plants and if one I inherited starts to struggle, I don’t wait for it to die, but dig it up and advertise it for free on my local online marketplace group so a gardener with more time on their hands can bow to its needy ways. And honestly, that's been the biggest time-saver of all.

I hope all these pro gardening tips save you time and stress in the garden, so you can put your feet up in the shade.

Every summer, I find myself trying to keep the house cool without relying on air conditioning. Closing curtains helps a bit (as does sitting in front of a fan with an ice cream in hand), but I much prefer solutions that work with nature rather than against it.

That's one reason I've become fascinated by those vines that cool your house down. Planted in the right spot, they do the same job as trees for shade, creating a living awning that softens harsh afternoon rays before they reach your windows while adding color, flowers and plenty of wildlife appeal to the garden.

The clever part, though? Why, that comes later in the year. As temperatures cool, these climbers naturally shed their leaves, allowing low winter sunlight to stream back through your windows just when you need the extra warmth and light.

Vines That Cool Down Your Home on Hot Days

It's an old gardening trick that's becoming more relevant as hotter summers become the norm across many parts of the US. Instead of blocking light all year round, deciduous vines like coral honeysuckle adapt with the seasons, helping create a more comfortable home while making outdoor spaces greener and more inviting.

Sold on the idea? Of course you are! For beautiful climbing plants that earn their keep, look no further, then, than these seven heat-loving vines, all of which promise plenty of natural summer shade without sacrificing winter sunshine. Perfect.

1. Trumpet Honeysuckle

(Image credit: Shepherdsatellite / Shutterstock)

A beautiful native vine that proves a practical plant can still be stunning, trumpet honeysuckle produces tubular red-orange flowers throughout summer. Not only does this create a magnet for hummingbirds, its dense green foliage helps block out the harshest rays of the sun and cool your house in the process.

Unlike other varieties of honeysuckle, many of which can be... well, if not invasive, than thuggish, this native species stays much better behaved in the garden. Try something like the Major Wheeler Honeysuckle Vine from Nature Hills, then, and get growing!

2. Climbing Hydrangea

A beautiful native vine that proves a practical plant can still be stunning, trumpet honeysuckle produces tubular red-orange flowers throughout summer. Not only does this create a magnet for hummingbirds, its dense green foliage helps block out the harshest rays of the sun and cool your house in the process.

Unlike other varieties of honeysuckle, many of which can be... well, if not invasive, than thuggish, this native species stays much better behaved in the garden. Try something like the Major Wheeler Honeysuckle Vine from Nature Hills, then, and get growing!

2. Climbing HydrangeaVines That Cool Down Your Home on Hot Days

It's an old gardening trick that's becoming more relevant as hotter summers become the norm across many parts of the US. Instead of blocking light all year round, deciduous vines like coral honeysuckle adapt with the seasons, helping create a more comfortable home while making outdoor spaces greener and more inviting.

Sold on the idea? Of course you are! For beautiful climbing plants that earn their keep, look no further, then, than these seven heat-loving vines, all of which promise plenty of natural summer shade without sacrificing winter sunshine. Perfect.

1. Trumpet Honeysuckle

(Image credit: Shepherdsatellite / Shutterstock)

A beautiful native vine that proves a practical plant can still be stunning, trumpet honeysuckle produces tubular red-orange flowers throughout summer. Not only does this create a magnet for hummingbirds, its dense green foliage helps block out the harshest rays of the sun and cool your house in the process.

Unlike other varieties of honeysuckle, many of which can be... well, if not invasive, than thuggish, this native species stays much better behaved in the garden. Try something like the Major Wheeler Honeysuckle Vine from Nature Hills, then, and get growing!

2. Climbing Hydrangea

(Image credit: Elisabeth Schittenhelm / Getty Images)

If your priority is cooling a sunny wall or window, climbing hydrangea is hard to beat (I should know; I have one sprawling over my own fence!). Its large, overlapping leaves create a thick green curtain during summer, helping shield your home from intense heat. And, come fall, it drops its foliage, allowing precious winter sunlight back through.

It is slow to establish, but once mature it becomes one of the most impressive shade-producing climbers you can grow. Pick up a Climbing Hydrangea from Nature Hills, stat!

3. Virginia Creeper

(Image credit: Chinahbzyg / Shutterstock)

Look, it gets a bad rep, but we all know that if you need coverage quickly, Virginia creeper delivers. This vigorous native vine can rapidly cover trellises, fences and walls with lush green leaves before transforming into a fiery display of red and purple in autumn. Its dense summer canopy makes it particularly useful for shading hot walls and windows, but it all comes with a caveat: keep on top of pruning! It is an understatement to say that this very enthusiastic grower appreciates a little guidance.

You can pick up Virginia Creeper Live Bare Root Plants from the CZ Grain Store via Amazon easily enough.

4. American Wisteria

(Image credit: magicflute002 / Getty Images)

For a romantic garden feel, look no further than the standout star of Bridgerton, I say! Yes, it's hard to beat wisteria trained over a pergola or arbor, and American wisteria in particular produces fragrant flower clusters that form a leafy canopy (aka welcome shade during the hottest months).

Unlike the better-known Asian varieties, this native option is far less aggressive. Try the Amethyst Falls Wisteria Vine from Nature Hills if you want a truly beautiful vine that cools down your home and keeps pollinators buzzing.

5. Passionflower

(Image credit: Michaela Pilch / Shutterstock)

Fast-growing and full of personality, passionflower brings both beauty and function to summer gardens. Its intricate flowers attract bees and butterflies, while its vigorous leafy growth can help create a temporary living screen for fences, pergolas or sunny spots.

This vine doesn't just cool down your home on hot days, though; in colder regions, it dies back in winter, returning when temperatures rise, and allowing light to flood your home when you need it most. Buy a passionflower from Amazon, then, and enjoy.

6. Grapevine

(Image credit: Photoongraphy / Shutterstock)

Grapevines have been used for centuries to create shady outdoor spaces, and for good reason. Their broad leaves form an effective summer canopy over pergolas and patios, while their fabulous fall color and edible fruit add heaps of extra appeal.

Once the leaves drop, too, winter sunshine can reach your home again. Something like the Canadice Seedless Grape Vine from Nature Hills should work a treat!

7. Common Hop 'Comet'

If you want dramatic summer coverage quickly, ornamental hops are worth considering. This vigorous deciduous vine can scramble up supports and create a dense leafy screen in a single growing season.

Home & Garden Fulfillment Network Comet Hops Vine

The chartreuse and lime green hues of this vine add color, height, and interest to gardens with carefree ease. 

It dies back completely in winter, making it ideal for gardeners who want summer shade without losing winter light. Just be sure to provide a trellis for clambering purposes!

Shop Trellis & Help Plants Reach Dizzying Heights:

LANDGARDEN Expandable Garden Trellis

This expandable garden trellis is a perfect climbing plant support.

KAWAHAYO 20 Pcs Chain Trellis for Climbing Plants

Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, this unusual twist on a climbing plant support adds a little va-va-voom!

DuraTrel Cambridge Garden Vinyl Trellis

This chic trellis can be effortlessly fixed into the ground using the included ground anchors.

By shading windows, walls and patios during the hottest months, leafy climbers are a great way to reduce the amount of solar heat entering your home.

It's a simple gardening trick that's been used for generations, but as summers become longer and hotter across much of the US, it's one that's well worth revisiting.

The devil works hard, basically, but a well-chosen deciduous vine works even harder! Use yours to cool down your home on hot days, and you'll never look back.

If there are gardeners out there who look forward to heatwaves, I haven’t met them. It’s pretty awful to wake up to a hot morning when the heat just keeps getting hotter as the day goes along.

Many popular garden plants make it through a heatwave because they have roots that go deep into the soil where there is moisture. But when those same plants live in containers, there is no deep soil and no room for deep roots. Container plants have a very limited amount of soil, and that soil dries out quickly during summer droughts.

That doesn’t mean that all container plants are doomed in summer heat. The best drought-tolerant container plants thrive in hot weather and with reduced water. Succulents and cacti are at the top of the list, but there are plenty of other low-water, heat-loving plants that bring color and interest. Below are seven of my favorites, and some tips for helping container plants survive heatwaves.

Helping Container Plants Survive Heatwaves

You can help your container plants thrive in a heatwave by taking a few precautions. Be sure the plants you leave out during a heatwave are drought-tolerant and like the heat – but their maturity is important too. Don't leave new, young perennial plants outside during a heat wave. Give them a year to establish.

Otherwise, follow these tips:

• Water your container plants in the early morning every day.
• Water until you see water coming out of the drain holes.
• Add a 2–3 inch layer of mulch on the top of the soil in every container. Use organic compost, chopped dry leaves, or wood chips.
• In truly scorching weather, move the containers out of the sun for the afternoon. A location with morning sun and afternoon shade is best.
• Don’t fertilise plants at all during hot weather. Wait until cooler weather comes in.

Heatwave Garden Essentials

Oycevila 5 lb Water-Storing Crystals for Plants

You can reduce watering by up to 50% by mixing these water-storing crystals in with the potting soil.

4 Pack Plant Umbrellas for Outdoor Plants

These fun plant parasols can be angled to protect vulnerable plants during periods of intense heat.

Back to the Roots Organic Expanding Mulch

Apply a layer of this expanding coconut husk mulch over the top of soil in pots to help keep soil cool and retain moisture.

1. Silver Jade Plant

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The silver dollar jade plant (Crassula arborescens) is an attractive succulent with round, puffy blue-gray leaves edged in a rich wine color. Native to South Africa, this striking plant has thick stems and starry white or pink blossoms in spring.

You can buy a variety pack of jade plants online from Altman Plants at Lowe's.

Jade is a perfect container plant in USDA zones 9-11. Its relatively short roots need well-draining soil and minimal water. In fact, too much water will rot the roots of this plant. Like other succulents, silver dollar jade plant stores water in its puffy leaves to use during times of drought. This is one of those plants you can set on a patio, admire every few days, and neglect the rest of the time.

2. Russian Sage

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Are there any plants with stunning flowers that actually grow best in a full-sun, arid location? There are indeed, and Russian sage is one of them. It’s an erect shrub that prefers full sun in well-drained soil. It performs best in dry, arid conditions.

Russian sage forms clumps that rise to 3 feet (1 m) tall, with sturdy upright stems and silvery-gray leaves. They have a pleasing pungent aroma when touched. The tubular purple flowers appear from June to October. Cultivars like 'Blue Spire ' and 'Blue Mist' produce better flowers than the species plant.

You can plant Russian sage in a container on a sunny patio, but you might want to select a dwarf cultivar like Denim ‘n Lace from Plant Addicts, or Little Spire, available at Lowe's. Give the container an occasional deep watering, then leave it alone until it’s completely dry.

3. Purple Fountain Grass

(Image credit: anand purohit / Getty Images)

Oh la la, this is a lovely fountain grass plant! It’s graceful and colorful, with waves of soft purple plumes arching up from burgundy-tinted foliage. Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum') is the superstar of fountain grass, dramatic in containers or mass plantings.

With its short roots, purple fountain grass thrives in containers as an annual, and as a perennial in zones 9–11. It is free of pests and diseases, and tolerant of hot sun and minimal water. Planted in large containers, this grass can grow up to 5 feet tall, making a fabulous frame for entryways when placed on either side of a doorway, adding visual interest with its height, movement, and color.

Buy purple fountain grass online from Nature Hills.

4. Thorncrest Century Plant

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Thorncrest century plant (Agave univittata ), a type of agave, grows wild in the Rio Grande Plains, thriving in dry, well-drained, rocky soil in zones 9–11. This qualifies it to take its rightful place among the best, drought-proof container plants that stay lush in heatwaves. Try this attractive Quadricolor variety from Altman Plants via Amazon.

Agave forms a rosette of leaves at its base; lovely, dark green leaves with a lighter green stripe down the middle. These large leaves heap up to about 2 feet (60 cm) tall. Then, of course, they flower – but don’t hold your breath. Agaves only bloom once in a lifetime, but when they do, what a show! The flower stalk appears in spring and shoots up to 10–15 feet (3–5 m) tall.

Thorncrest century plant is a fuss-free container plant that doesn’t need much water. Put it in a spot that gets sun. If you live in a cooler zone, you can still grow century plant. Set it up in a container and move it indoors during winter.

5. Asiatic Jasmine

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Common jasmine is a lush climbing vine with gorgeously fragrant white blossoms that requires regular water to leaf and flower. But Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) – unrelated to the real jasmine clan – is an evergreen, vine-like woody plant that makes a good, drought-proof perennial for containers in zones 7–10. In cooler zones, it can be grown as an annual.

Variegated varieties, like the new Snow-N-Summer Asiatic Jasmine, available at Plant Addicts, are particularly stunning, with foliage spanning pink, white, and green.

While many use Asiatic jasmine in the landscape for alternative groundcover, this plant, with tiny yellow “pinwheel” flowers, also does well in containers placed in the shade or sun. It will grow to 3 feet (1 m) tall and half that wide. Gardeners in Florida often choose Asiatic jasmine given its hardiness and drought tolerance. Once established, this jasmine needs very little care.

6. Rosemary

(Image credit: ARTFULLY PHOTOGRAPHER / Shutterstock)

Native to the hot Mediterranean area of Europe, rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) offers so much that you can’t pass it up as a drought-tolerant, heat-loving plant. This shrubby perennial herb has truly lovely blue flowers as well, attracting oohs and aahs and pollinators. Driving through Spain, I’ve seen wild fields of rosemary so beautiful that they took my breath away.

Rosemary is drought-tolerant and grows best in full sun in warm areas. Can you grow it in a pot? It’s best, since the shrub doesn’t like much moisture in its soil, and soil in a container stays drier than soil in the ground. Rosemary thrives in zones 7–11. In colder areas, grow rosemary in a container and bring it inside for the winter.

7. Cushion Spurge

(Image credit: Marina Bagrova / Getty Images)

Never heard of cushion spurge (Euphorbia epithymoides)? Well, say hello to one of the most drought-tolerant perennials for USDA zones 4 to 8. The plant’s flowers are lovely, yellow blooms backed by chartreuse bracts on a plant that grows to about 18 inches (50 cm) tall. The second show happens in fall when the foliage changes to orange and red.

Cushion spurge is a great choice for patio container plants; just pick a large container with adequate drain holes. This plant is happy but will also thrive in partial shade, though too much shade will make the cushion spurge leggy, rather than its classic cushion shape.

Another good spurge for containers that has a similar cushion-like growth habit is Tiny Tim dwarf spurge, available at Walmart.

Mulch put down in spring feels like a one-and-done job, and for plenty of gardeners it is – right up until midsummer, when the beds start looking thin and the ground dries out faster than it used to. That layer that was 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm) deep back in April has a way of settling and quietly vanishing by July. Whether it calls for another bag or two really depends on what's left on the ground.

Any solid guide to mulching will stress that organic mulches are meant to break down over time – that's the point. They not only hold in moisture and cool the soil, but they also add organic matter into the soil as they break down. The catch is, though, is that they don't last forever. So a midsummer mulch refresh is often the price of that slow-release payoff.

Not every landscape needs another layer of mulch in the middle of summer, though, and heaping more where there's already plenty brings its own set of headaches. I'll help you know if your garden needs another layer of mulch, how much to add, and the best type to refresh gardens in midsummer.

Why Does Mulch Disappear?

A few different elements eat away at mulch over the course of the summer season. Living organisms in the soil break down the lower layers of mulch over time, which is actually a good thing. The mulch turns into exactly what your plants want and need to thrive.

But the surface layer of your mulch is another matter. Sun bleaches and dries it out, and hard rain packs it down flat. Week by week, a fair amount of mulch gets kicked around by normal tending and foot traffic or blown clear of the bed by the wind, too.

How fast this occurs comes down to the cause and the type of mulch you used. Shredded bark and wood chips hold up for a good while, often a full season or longer. Lighter materials – think straw or grass clippings – break down quicker and sometimes they're almost gone by high summer. Stone and gravel mulches don't break down at all, though they don't feed the soil either, which is why most flower and vegetable beds benefit from an organic mulch.

(Image credit: Vasil Dimitrov / Getty Images)Do You Need to Reapply Mulch?

A simple test to check if you need more mulch and when to mulch in summer only takes a few seconds. Just push a ruler down through the remaining mulch until it hits soil and see how deep the layer actually is. Anything under an inch (2.5 cm) or so isn't pulling its weight anymore. It won't hold in much moisture or do much to smother weeds. Bare patches where the dirt shows through are the other easy giveaway, since that's where water evaporates fastest and weeds find their opening.

Weeds tend to reveal on a thin layer of mulch, too. A bed that was clean in spring suddenly throwing up seedlings usually means the mulch has worn past the point of blocking them.

Moisture is the other tell. If the ground under the mulch dries within a day of a good watering, the cover is too skimpy to hold much moisture. A basic soil moisture meter from Amazon takes the guesswork out of this, though honestly a finger pushed a couple inches (5 cm) into the dirt works nearly as well.

(Image credit: Getty Images)How Much Mulch to Add

The goal is a finished depth of 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm), not two to three inches of fresh mulch piled on whatever's already sitting there. Topping up means adding the difference and nothing more.

If an inch (2.5 cm) of mulch is still holding, another inch or so brings it back where it should be. Too much mulch, anything deeper than 3 inches (8 cm), and it starts working against you by holding too much water against plant roots and preventing the soil from breathing.

Keep the fresh mulch layer pulled back a couple inches (5 cm) from plant stems and the base of shrubs or trees. Mulch heaped straight against bark traps moisture where it isn't wanted and invites rot. Those mulch volcanoes you see around trees are a common mulching mistake and are actually really bad for trees.

Spread and level out mulch with a rake. A sturdy landscape rake from Amazon spreads a bag evenly in a fraction of the time of doing it by hand and keeps the depth consistent across the whole bed.

(Image credit: Getty Images)Best Mulch for a Midsummer Refresh

For a summer top-up, you want a mulch that holds moisture well and stays put through thunderstorms. Shredded bark and wood chips are hard to beat for use around shrubs and perennials. They knit together and resist blowing away, and their slow breakdown process helps them last right into fall.

Vegetable beds do better with an eco-friendly mulch like straw or shredded leaves, which stay light and work into the soil easily once the season winds down. But matching the new mulch to whatever's already there keeps your landscape looking cohesive.

One task worth doing regardless of the type of mulch you use: soak your garden beds first. Laying mulch over dry ground just locks in that dryness, which defeats the whole purpose. A bag or two of organic shredded bark mulch from Amazon covers most average-sized beds and a good watering beforehand means the fresh layer of mulch seals in moisture.

July is when backyard tomatoes either take off or quietly fall apart. The plants are big by now, heavy with green fruit and pushing hard through the hottest stretch of the year – which is right when small problems snowball into season-enders. Blossom end rot sets in, skins split, and a fungal spot creeps up the lower leaves before anyone notices. Most of that traces back to a few tasks that get skipped in the heat, not to bad luck.

The good news is that ten minutes of attention now pays off for weeks. Anyone already comfortable with growing tomatoes knows the vines are forgiving up to a point, and midsummer is where that forgiveness runs thin. A little pruning, steady water, a nutrient nudge at the right moment – these are the moves that keep fruit setting through August instead of stalling out in a tangle of leggy growth and cracked skins. None of it takes special skill. It just takes doing it before the plant forces the issue.

What Your Tomatoes Need in July

The plants aren't asking for much in July, but the little they need, they need on time. Skipping a step doesn't show up right away – it shows up three weeks later as cracked fruit or a vine half-taken by blight. Ten minutes now buys a lot of tomatoes later, and better-tasting ones at that.

1. Low-Leaf Haircut for Airflow and Blight Prevention

(Image credit: Oleh Strus / Getty Images)

When pruning tomatoes, start at the bottom. Those lower leaves touching the soil, or hovering just above it, are the first place blight and early leaf spot get a foothold – rain splashes soil-borne spores up onto them, and from there the trouble climbs. Stripping the bottom 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30cm) of foliage off each plant opens up airflow right where things sit stagnant and humid. It looks a little brutal the first time. The plant won't miss them.

Those low leaves aren't doing much photosynthesizing anyway, shaded out by everything above. Pulling them lets air move through the base and dries the zone out faster after a storm, which is half the battle with fungal trouble. Do it on a dry morning so the wounds seal before evening humidity settles back in. A clean cut or a clean snap, either works – just don't leave torn stubs that invite rot.

2. Consistency With Deep Watering

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Tomatoes hate surprises when it comes to water. Deep, consistent soaking is what heads off blossom end rot and split tomatoes both, and the two problems actually share a cause – erratic moisture. When a plant goes bone dry and then gets flooded, the fruit swells faster than the skin can stretch, and it cracks. Calcium uptake stalls during the dry stretches too, which is what triggers that sunken dark patch on the bottom of the tomato.

The fix is boring, but it works. Water tomatoes deeply and less often, right at the base. A couple of long soakings a week beats a daily sprinkle that only wets the top inch (2.5cm). A drip line or soaker hose from Amazon takes the guesswork out of it, running slow and low so moisture sinks down to where the roots are. Mulch over the top of that and the ground holds even between waterings. That last part is honestly reason enough to mulch.

3. Midsummer Sucker Pruning

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Tomato suckers are the little shoots that pop out in the crotch between the main stem and a branch. Left alone, especially on indeterminate types, they grow into whole secondary stems that eat energy the plant could be putting into fruit. Midsummer is prime time to stay on top of them, since the vines are growing fast and throwing new suckers weekly. Pinch them out while they're small – thumb and forefinger, no tools needed.

There's a limit to this, though. Determinate tomatoes set most of their crop at once and shouldn't be sucker-pruned much at all, since every growing tip counts toward the harvest. On indeterminate tomatoes, a light hand beats a heavy one in the heat. Strip too much foliage and you expose fruit to sunscald, those pale leathery patches that show up on shoulders baking in full sun. Take the obvious suckers, leave enough canopy to shade what's ripening.

4. Mid-Season Potassium Boost

(Image credit: Valeriy_G / Getty Images)

By July, the early fertilizer is mostly used up and the plant is heading into its heaviest fruiting stretch. This is where a potassium boost earns its keep – potassium drives fruit development and flavor, and a mid-season side dressing keeps production from tapering off early. Skip fertilizing tomatoes with the high-nitrogen stuff now. Nitrogen at this stage just pushes leafy growth at the expense of the tomatoes already forming.

Side dressing is simple. Scatter a low-nitrogen, higher-potassium feed in a ring a few inches (7 to 8cm) out from the stem, scratch it into the soil surface, then water it in. Something along the lines of a tomato-specific granular fertilizer from Amazon does the job without much fuss. The plant picks it up over the following weeks, right as the fruit load peaks. Do it once now and most gardens won't need another round before the season winds down.

5. Reinforcing the Rigging

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All that fruit has weight, and July is when supports start giving out. A cage that held fine in June leans under a fully loaded plant, and once a stem kinks or snaps, that whole branch of developing tomatoes is finished. Walk the row and look for strain. Maybe a stake has worked loose, or a tie is starting to bite into a thickening stem. Better to catch it before a storm rolls through and lays everything flat.

Loosen any ties that are cutting in and re-secure with something soft. Strips of old T-shirt work, or these adjustable plant ties from Amazon that don't dig into the stem as it thickens. Add a stake where a plant is outgrowing its cage, and tie in the heavy trusses so they're not hanging off a single joint. Ten minutes of reinforcement now saves a snapped main stem later, and there's no coming back from that one.

6. Snapping Off Key Growing Tips

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This one's aimed at the tail end of the run, but it's worth knowing about now. Toward the close of tomato season – usually mid to late summer, depending on climate – snapping off the growing tips of indeterminate plants tells them to quit making new growth and ripen what's already there. Any flower cluster that opens past a certain point won't have time to mature anyway, so the plant does better funneling that energy into the fruit already hanging.

It's called topping, and it can be the difference between a pile of green tomatoes at first frost and a properly ripe haul. Cut or pinch the top few inches (7 to 8 cm) off each main stem, just above the highest cluster worth keeping. Everything gets redirected downward. In shorter-season areas it's close to essential; in long, warm climates there's less urgency, though it still helps concentrate flavor late in the year. Miss July, and tomatoes coast. Get it right, and they produce like they’ve got something to prove.

Most vegetable gardens are fed on a loose schedule: a scoop of granular in spring, maybe a mid-season boost, whatever the instructions on the bag suggest. That works fine most of the time. But what many gardeners don't realize is that when you fertilize plants matters nearly as much as what you feed them. The gap between a well-timed dose of fertilizer and a badly-timed feeding shows up fast, sometimes as scorched roots and sometimes as a plant that sulks for a week instead of taking off.

Figuring out the best time to fertilize plants isn't complicated, though. Plants only draw on nutrients when they're actively growing and the soil around their roots is damp enough to carry those nutrients. Feed during that window and the plant takes up nearly everything on offer. Feed outside of it and a good share of that fertilizer either sits there unused or, worse, harms the plant it was meant to help.

Here's exactly when to fertilize your vegetable garden for a bigger harvest and thriving plants. Plus, find out the worst time to feed plants.

Best Time to Fertilize Vegetables

The best time to fertilize a vegetable garden is when plants are actively growing and the ground is already damp. For most vegetables that is sometime between early establishment and fruit set. At that point, the plant moves from building leaves to filling out fruit and it stays hungry the whole way through this process.

If you fertilize during this phase, the nutrients get pulled up and put to work almost right away. Fertilize plants on a cool, overcast morning and it helps even more since your veggies aren't spending everything they have just trying to survive the heat of the day.

Morning is the friendliest time slot for fertilizing before the heat builds. The soil is usually still holding moisture from overnight, the roots are awake, and there's a long stretch of mild conditions ahead for the plant to use the nutrients you're giving it.

Watering first or feeding the day after decent rain makes a real difference. Nutrients need water to travel and dry soil just leaves them stranded up top. A balanced liquid fertilizer from Amazon works quickly since it's already dissolved in water and ready for the roots to absorb.

(Image credit: Valeriy_G / Getty Images)Why This Is the Ideal Time

Fertilizing your vegetable garden on a damp morning during a period of active growth isn't only about being tidy. It changes how much of the fertilizer your plants can actually reach.

Nutrients provided while roots are active and the soil is moist get absorbed better, instead of washing past the root zone during the next hard rain. That means less waste, and less runoff that carries nutrients somewhere they were never meant to be. More of what you paid for actually gets to the plant.

There's a knock-on effect on growth, too. A plant fed steadily through its hungry phase grows at an even pace, which usually means better fruit and fewer of the soft, sappy shoots aphids attack. Provide too much nitrogen too late in the season, though, and the plant puts out lots of leaves when it should be ripening fruit. The feed technically worked, but it aimed the plant at the wrong goal.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)Worst Time to Fertilize Vegetables

Here's the main lesson to take away when it comes to fertilizing vegetables: never feed a plant that's already stressed from heat and dry soil. It may seem almost backwards – the plant looks like it's suffering, so surely a boost of nutrients would help? It won't. Fertilizer is essentially salts and salts in dry ground pull moisture the wrong way, drawing it out of the roots instead of into them.

If the top few inches (8 cm) of soil feel bone dry, that's the signal to hold off. A soil moisture meter from Amazon helps you tell if you're soil is too dry in seconds, if the surface moisture is hard to read. For a wilting, sun-baked plant, feeding is a fast track to fertilizer burn or scorched root tips and crispy leaf edges that appear in just a day or two.

Follow the same precaution when feeding any plant that is visibly struggling – that includes wilting in the heat or new plants suffering transplant shock. Feeding rarely fixes those issues. More often it stacks stress onto a plant that is already maxed out.

It's better to solve the problem first, usually by watering your vegetable garden, and let plants steady themselves before adding fertilizer. A hungry plant can perk back up in just a few days. A burned one takes a lot longer to come back.

(Image credit: Valeriy_G / Getty Images)What to Do If You Missed the Window

Missing the ideal vegetable fertilizing window isn't a huge deal. The right fix is rarely to pile on extra fertilizer to catch up. That's how one missed feeding turns into a case of fertilizer burn.

Instead, water your vegetable beds deeply and let them settle. Wait for a mild morning, then feed at about half the usual strength. Half-strength fertilizer at the right moment does more than a full dose forced at the wrong time.

Gentler options carry less risk when you're playing catch-up, too. A diluted liquid feed watered in or a thin layer of compost worked over the surface releases slowly and won't shock plants. A long-neck watering can from Amazon makes it easy to get a diluted feed right to the base of each plant without splashing foliage in the midday sun.

After that, it's mostly patience. Your vegetable garden catches up on its own clock, not yours, so rushing the process rarely ends the way you hope.

Plants are no different to people: some put the effort in day in, day out with a smile on their face and zero complaints; others require fulltime management if they’re to function at all. And while there’s no escaping the full spectrum of humankind, you can sure fill your garden with low-maintenance plants that thrive on neglect, producing months of cheery flowers with hardly any help from you.

What makes any garden look truly amazing – and makes you look like an awesome gardener, too – is an abundance of flowers. And that doesn’t need to come at the cost of an equally high level of hard work from you. I only grow plants with a magic ratio of maximum blooms in return for minimal effort, and here I'm sharing some of the very easiest flowers to grow. They're all perennials so they’ll reliably return year after year, so you only need plant them once. And they’re all pretty drought tolerant so, while you’ll need to keep them well watered at first, until they grow their roots deep enough into the ground to find their own source of water, long-term they’ll thrive on neglect.

When I say I grow all these plants in my garden, what I should really be saying is that all these plants grow themselves in my garden. Apart from cutting down the old stems and pointing the hosepipe in their direction if there’s a prolonged spell of really hot, dry weather in summer, I very much leave them to their own devices. Do they sulk? Never. Do they keel over and die when I go on holiday? Nope. Can you plant them all now for easy color that'll last into fall? Hell yeah! Welcome to the world of star-performer plants that are perfect for low maintenance gardens and time-poor gardeners…

1. Salvia ‘Caradonna’

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 4-8
• Full sun
• Grows 2 feet high and wide
• Flowers early summer to early fall

Purple is one of the best colors to have in your garden palette. It’s bright without being gaudy and makes the colors of all the flowers around it – blue, pink, yellow, red or orange – appear more vibrant. And Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ is one of the very best best salvia varieties to bring purple into your borders. As well as violet-blue spires of flowers, its stems are a wonderfully dark purple, and its aromatic foliage grows into a compact mound.

Pollinators adore the nectar-rich flowers, but not as much as landscape designers! And no wonder – this hard-working beauty works in all color palettes and is simple to care for, even by beginner gardeners, yet brings such a modern, stylish vibe to any garden. Deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone, too, so it really is an easy win.

This perennial sage flowers from late spring into summer – and if you trim off the spent flower spikes with a pair of hedge shears, it’ll rebloom all over again. For maximum flowers and the strongest tones, if you like to use color in your garden, just give it a sunny spot with at least 6 hours of sunshine. And the secret to keeping Salvia ‘Caradonna’ performing well for years without much input from you is simply to ensure it has good drainage, easily achieved by mixing soil improver and a handful of grit into the ground when planting.

Salvia 'Caradonna' is available from the Perennial Farm Marketplace Store via Amazon, and is also stocked by Woodies Garden Goods.

2. Geranium ‘Rozanne’

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 5-8
• Full sun or partial shade
• Grows 1-2 feet high and wide
• Flowers May to October

Here’s another purple beauty that brings abundant blooms to your garden for next-to-no effort. Geranium 'Rozanne' grows a profusion of violet-blue blooms veined with purple all through summer and autumn, which pollinators love. The great thing about this hardy cranesbill is that it’ll grow pretty much anywhere, in any soil, as long as it gets a little sun. It puts up with everything the weather can throw at it, too, so this tough cookie is a great way to fill a tricky spot.

But the best thing about Geranium 'Rozanne' is that it doesn’t produce seeds. Being sterile means it puts all its energy into producing flowers from spring to fall, and also doesn’t gift you a gazillion seedlings to pull up in spring.

A perennial, it tends to grow out rather than up, but it’ll happily weave its way through other plants without smothering them. I’ve paired it with ornamental grasses in a front yard bed that gets baked by the sun all morning then is cast into deep shade all afternoon, that I very rarely water (just once so far this summer!). And honestly, it’s effortless. Its informal habit also makes Rozanne one of those easy-breezy plants often used by landscape designers to soften hard landscaping.

Proven Winners Rozanne hardy geraniums are available from Nature Hills.

3. Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 5-9
• Full to part sun
• Grows 3-4 feet high and 1-2 feet wide
• Flowers May to October

Here’s a plant that we should all grow more of, because it will flower from spring through fall even if you ignore it entirely! What’s more, pollinators flock to Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies', and its thin stems shift on the slightest breeze, bringing so much movement to any border. I have three plants and while they’re not the main focus of the beds, the white flowers brushed with blush pink add real depth, whirling about just above the main flush of perennial blooms.

The stems naturally form an open, airy shape, so this is a wonderful plant to bring a more romantic, informal vibe to your garden. But be warned, everyone who visits your garden will want to know what it is!

This is another sterile plant, which is why it continually flowers from late spring through fall. Gaura is super-easy to grow, and to take cuttings from, even if you’re a beginner gardener. Because this fabulous variety is relatively uncommon in the US, it sells out quickly. Plants are currently available from RedCrocus via Amazon, and are usually stocked by Woodies Garden Goods. If you’re searching for this plant at your local nursery or online, it’s useful to know that it’s recently been reclassified as Oenothera.

4. Lavender ‘Grosso’

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 5-9
• Full sun
• Grows 2-3 feet high and wide
• Flowers July to September

So many of my neighbors have asked me what I do to grow such big, healthy lavender in my front garden. You see, they think I’m just growing a regular lavender and it’s my green fingers that are making it grow so tall and aromatic. And yes, it’s true that I always give lavender a gravel mulch to get more flowers, but my other secret is that this is Lavender ‘Grosso’.

This hybrid variety is a cross between English lavender and Portuguese lavender, and it produces very large, plump flower spikes on tall stems. Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso' has a far higher concentration of essential oils – three or four times as much as English lavender – which means it’s incredibly fragrant too, which is why it’s often grown commercially.

The more sun Lavender 'Grosso' gets, the happier it is, and as long as it has well drained soil, it pretty much looks after itself. I occasionally throw the plant a bucket of water at it but more often than not, I forget. Grosso lavender is another sterile plant, so it flowers all summer long, and doesn’t produce any unwanted seedlings. Its nectar-rich flowers are adored by pollinators, too.

Lavender 'Grosso' plants are available from Burpee.

5. Japanese anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 4-8
• Full sun to partial shade
• Grows 3-4 feet high and 1-3 feet wide
• Flowers August to October

Yes, it’s true, a lot of Japanese anemones can be thugs in the garden, but ‘Honorine Jobert’ is perfectly polite and well behaved. It does still spread through underground rhizomes but far less vigorously than most other varieties, and has shallow roots so it’s easy to pull up if it wanders too far. Put it in a spot that doesn’t give it optimum conditions to spread – rich or loose soil – and it’s not any trouble at all.

However, ‘Honorine Jobert’ still has that wonderful wish to live that all Japanese anemones possess, making this perennial very easy to grow. Its elegant petals, a fresh white softened by the faintest touch of pink on their undersides, will refresh a tired, heat-baked garden in late summer, year after year, and continue through fall. I particularly love how the flowers dance on their wiry stems as summer draws to a close and the wind picks up. The buds are perfect little spheres, too, adding to the joy.

While this plant copes fine in full sun, because it prefers consistent moisture, it’s more low-maintenance if you grow it in a partially shady spot. Its fresh green foliage and white fall flowers brighten up the shade a treat, too.

Japanese anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ plants are available from Woodies Garden Goods.

6. Hardy Sedum Autumn Joy

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun or partial light shade
• Grows 1-2 feet tall and wide
• Flowers August to November

I grow this hard worker in a front-yard bed that I haven’t watered for two years now, and it’s thriving. So, other than cutting back the old stems, which takes about a minute, Sedum Autumn Joy takes up none of my time or effort – but it still puts on a bobby dazzler display. Its flat-topped clusters of star-shaped flowers start a pale pink in late summer, morphing into a rich raspberry then to a copper-red tone over a couple of months, bringing a heap of easy fall color. That’s a lot of flower power already, but if you want even more, you can cut a third of the stems back in May, which gives you two tones of blooms at any one time.

The stems and seedheads of sedum Autumn Joy are really robust, too, so you can leave them standing through winter. Deer and rabbits don’t touch the succulent leaves, which are a vibrant fresh green tone. Bees and butterflies love it, and it’ll grow pretty much anywhere as long as it has good drainage – while it will still grow fine in partial shade, full sun brings super-sturdy stems and the strongest color.

Generally sold as ‘Autumn Joy’, this plant goes by a handful of other names, so if you want to check you’re buying what you think you’re buying, it’s good to know that this hybrid stonecrop’s official name is now Hylotelephium x mottramianum ‘Herbstfeude’. Sedum 'Autumn Joy' plants are available from Nature Hills.

7. Aster ‘Raydons Favorite’

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 3-8
• Full sun to light shade
• Grows 2-3 feet high and wide
• Flowers September to October

All aster varieties generally thrive on neglect, and ‘Raydons Favorite’ is particularly so. A lot of asters grow tall and, while they produce lots of flowers, those sprawling stems can get pretty untidy. Turns out that this aromatic aster is a little different, too, as it’s recently been reclassed as Symphotrichum oblongifolium – and thankfully, it’s a whole lot easier to grow than it is to pronounce.

What I love about this plant is that it peaks just as many other flowers in the garden are starting to fade, and powers through fall in a blaze of lavender daisies with cheery yellow centres. Deer and rabbits dislike its aromatic leaves, yet it’s a valuable source of late-season nectar for pollinators. It forms a neat, bushy mound that doesn’t need staking, and as long as it has good drainage so its roots aren’t sitting in soggy soil all through winter, will reliably return year after year.

Aster ‘Raydons Favorite’ plants are available from Woodies Garden Goods.

It's no coincidence that all these plants are commonly used by landscape designers. While their clients may have the money to pay for a swish garden design, they don't always have much gardening knowledge, so designers often reach for low-maintenance, highly tolerant plants that will survive, no matter what. So the added bonus of adding these hard-working flowering plants to your yard is that they'll bring a designer look without the associated cost.

All these low-maintenance plants can be planted now, and will bring color to your late-summer garden and into fall.

As our summers seem to get hotter every year, I've found myself rethinking the plants I grow. Instead of choosing varieties that simply survive the heat, I'm looking for ones that actually thrive in it – and reward me with color, fragrance and plenty of wildlife, even during the warmest spells.

That's why I'm always on the lookout for fragrant plants that do more than just look pretty. A beautiful perfume can completely transform a garden, especially if you spend summer evenings outdoors, and there's nothing better than catching the scent of flowers drifting across the garden on a warm breeze.

If you're searching for perfumed patio plants that can cope with rising temperatures while making your outdoor space feel like a Mediterranean escape, there is one heat-loving climber I'd happily recommend. Because, with its glossy evergreen foliage, masses of starry white blooms and an unforgettable fragrance, it's a plant that earns its place year after year.

The Heat-Loving Climber You Need To Try

No surprises here, but confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is the heat-loving climber that has been stealing the show in gardens everywhere this summer.

Although it isn't a true jasmine, its intensely sweet perfume is often compared to – and by some gardeners even preferred over – the fragrance of roses. On warm evenings, the scent drifts through the garden, making patios, pergolas and seating areas feel like an outdoor retreat.

Unlike some vigorous climbing plants, confederate jasmine (also known as star jasmine) is generally well behaved, making it easier to keep within bounds with a light trim after flowering. And it loves sunshine and warmth, making it an excellent choice for gardeners in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 10.

(Image credit: Satura86 / Getty Images)

No surprises here, but this heat-loving climber grows happily in full sun or partial shade, although the strongest flowering and fragrance usually come from plants that receive at least six hours of sunlight each day.

Once established, confederate jasmine is also relatively drought tolerant. Regular watering during its first growing season helps it develop a strong root system, sure, but mature plants are capable of coping with periods of dry weather better than many flowering climbers.

If you live in a colder climate, don't rule it out entirely. Many gardeners successfully grow star jasmine in large containers that can be moved to a sheltered spot during winter.

Nature Hills Nursery Confederate Jasmine

Confederate Jasmine is a sensory masterpiece that transforms ordinary landscapes into fragrant retreats.

The heavenly fragrance isn't just for people to enjoy, either, as the nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other beneficial pollinators (including your birth month bug, probably). Its dense foliage, too, can also provide valuable shelter for small birds, making it a triple threat.

There's lots you can do with a confederate jasmine. Train it over a pergola to create a scented canopy, or let it soften a plain fence or brick wall. It also performs beautifully around entrances, and it can even be grown as an evergreen ground cover on slopes or banks where its spreading stems help suppress weeds while creating a lush carpet of foliage.

Whichever location you choose, make sure the soil drains well, as confederate jasmine absolutely loathes sitting in waterlogged ground.

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For gardeners who want maximum impact without constant upkeep, star jasmine is hard to beat. Aside from occasional watering during prolonged dry spells and a light prune to keep growth tidy, it asks for very little in return (think a spring application of a balanced fertilizer and a layer of mulch).

Honestly, it's easy to see why so many gardeners consider star jasmine one of the best climbers for warm-climate gardens. Jump on the bandwagon, I say! Once it's in full bloom, you'll understand why so many people pause to enjoy its scent every time they walk past.

The idea is appealing: you let your plants “make friends” in the garden by planting different plant species close to each other so that they can offer identifiable benefits to one another. Often, the goal is to keep insect pests at bay. Sometimes one plant benefits; sometimes the benefit is mutual. And sometimes – all too often – the “pairing” doesn’t work well at all and pests overrun the protected plant.

It’s frustrating when companion planting doesn’t live up to its hype. But what’s a gardener to do? There’s a smarter strategy we’re excited about that scientists suggest will do a much more efficient job of keeping those insect pests from your favorite plants. We call it scent clustering, and we’re here to tell you about it.

Say Hello to Scent Clustering

In traditional companion planting, gardeners are urged to match a pest-repelling plant with a plant to be protected – and do this repeatedly throughout the garden. If you're new to the concept, then it's worth picking up a copy of The Old Farmer's Almanac Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook from Amazon.

The idea is to have the aromatic plants that pests don’t like scattered individually throughout the garden, close to the plants to be protected. Think of them as dancing, two by two, around the ballroom of the garden.

Scent clustering abandons this “one-on-one/two-by-two” approach. Instead, we can create a protective “wall” against insect pests by grouping tough, aromatic plants together. Experts suggest that this makes a more effective barrier against insect pests than interspersing them throughout the garden.

(Image credit: Alamy)Why Scent Clustering Deters More Pests

Have you ever noticed that the corner of the garden with two or three fragrant plants has a stronger, more compelling scent than an area with only one? In my garden in France, I have a rose bed filled with only fragrant cultivars, and recently added a jasmine vine on the fence behind it. The combined scent seems three times as powerful as the roses alone.

Grouping aromatic plants also amplified the effect of the scent – and it can be much more effective at deterring pests. Clustering strongly scented plants together may create a stronger "chemical landscape" that can help mask crop scents or confuse pests. Part of this is attributable to VOC communication.

As highlighted in this scientific study, plants release Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in response to insect attacks. This VOC release is a way that plants communicate with neighboring plants. When insect-damaged plants communicate their situation, the undamaged plants nearby increase their own defenses – like aromatics – as if they were being attacked themselves.

(Image credit: Lena Gabrilovich / Shutterstock)Best Plants for Scent Clustering

Fragrant plants are the Amazons of the garden. They add beauty and joy but also bring the muscle to fight off insect pests. In addition to keeping pests away with their scents, aromatic herbs and flowers attract beneficial insects. Fragrant and aromatic plants release essential oils with volatile organic compounds. The VOCs communicate with other plants but also confuse insects, making it hard for them to find food.

Some plants have scents that bugs really cannot stand. These aromatic plants include: garlic, green onions, parsley, orange nasturtiums, chives, lavender, rosemary, basil, marigolds, and alliums. Others that make the list as effective for scent clustering are wormwood, scented geranium, santolina, and tansy. Creating a “wall” of the strongest aromatic pest confusers like yarrow, anise hyssop, onions, garlic, and mints in gardens helps keep pests away.

Shop Companion Planting Seed Bundles

Sow Right Seeds Insect & Pest Repellent Seed Collection

Organo Republic 18 Culinary Herbs Seeds Variety Pack

Home Grown Marigold Seeds Bulk Mix

(Image credit: Aloha_17 / Getty Images)Where to Position Scent Clusters in the Landscape

Generally, scent clusters of aromatics work best as perimeter planting. If you group them too near the vegetable garden, they can interfere with your crops' growth. Instead, create a pest-repellent hedge or aromatics around orchards and vegetable patches.

It also works well to plant pungent aromatic herbs near pathways in the garden. Their effectiveness increases when they spill over onto paving. The warming paving warms the foliage too, releasing the fragrant plant oils.

Succession Planting to Keep Scent Clusters Going

Now that you’ve identified your strongest aromatics and installed them in mixed clusters in the garden, the last thing you want is to have that “wall” crumble as the shortest-lived plants die back. As you lose plants, the scent diminishes, and the effect on insect pests also goes down.

The key to keeping the scent clusters going is succession planting. You may have already started with succession planting in the vegetable garden. Basically, this means you don’t just sow and forget. Instead, you sow rounds of seeds one after the other, to keep new crops coming in all summer long. This works especially well for crops like lettuce that grow fast and can get eaten fast. Instead of ending up with hundreds of heads of lettuce at once, you end up with a smaller amount that ripen sequentially.

You can use succession planting for your aromatic herbs as well. Whichever ones you decide to plant, just keep sowing the seeds every week or every other week to keep the herbs coming.

I'm a sucker for a full moon. Whether it's the Wolf Moon, the Strawberry Moon, or the Harvest Moon, I always find myself looking up and wondering how on earth our ancestors came up with such wonderfully evocative names.

The July full moon, however, has one of my favorites: the Thunder Moon. Thankfully, it isn't named as such because the moon itself summons dramatic thunderstorms (that would be very Greek mythos of it!).

Instead, the name comes from the fact that July has historically been one of the stormiest months of the year across much of North America, with spectacular thunder and lightning displays often accompanying the height of summer.

Preparing for The Thunder Moon

Considering it usually heralds the beginning of the stormy season, then, the Thunder Moon feels like the perfect reminder to give your garden a quick once-over before the next summer tempest rolls through.

Here are five simple jobs that could save you a lot of heartache later.

1. Secure Tall Plants

(Image credit: Franck Metois / Getty Images)

Summer storms can flatten a season's worth of hard work in a matter of minutes. Ahead of the Thunder Moon, then, take a few moments to check that tomatoes, climbing beans, dahlias, sunflowers, and other tall plants are properly supported.

Be sure to tighten loose ties, replace any that are digging into stems, and make sure stakes, cages, and trellises are firmly anchored in the ground. I promise it's much easier to prevent a plant from falling over than it is to rescue one after it's snapped.

Personally, I like to make life easy with myself and use something like these VELCRO Brand Adjustable Plant Ties.

2. Give Containers Some Shelter

(Image credit: Kschulze / Getty Images)

Potted plants and container gardens are often the first casualties of strong summer winds.

If severe weather is in the forecast, be sure, then, to move lightweight containers closer to the house, group smaller pots together for stability, and take down hanging baskets if particularly strong gusts are expected.

Honestly, even a few feet of extra shelter can make a surprising difference.

Shop Container Garden Essentials:

FoxFarm Happy Frog Potting Soil

A favorite with our very own Tyler Schuster, this has been amended with earthworm castings, bat guano, and aged forest products for nutrient-rich goodness.

ArtFamy Hanging Baskets for Plants

These sturdy hanging baskets use a coconut coir design, which makes for good air permeability and drainage.

Terrain Brass Snail Watering Can

Bold as brass, this watering can (and its cheeky snail friend) is a reproduction of a charming vintage find.

3. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!

(Image credit: HannaTor / Shutterstock)

Mulch is often associated with drought, but it's just as valuable before heavy rain, making it an ideal Thunder Moon-themed garden task to crack on with.

A two- to three-inch layer of organic mulch is enough to help cushion the soil against torrential downpours, reducing erosion and preventing water from splashing soil-borne diseases onto plant leaves. It also helps retain moisture once the storm has passed and temperatures climb again.

Just remember to keep mulch a couple of inches away from plant stems and tree trunks.

4. Harvest Anything That's Ready

(Image credit: Dmitrii Marchenko / Getty Images)

If you've got ripe tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, or summer squash, don't wait! Take the Thunder Moon at its dramatic word, as heavy rain can cause tomatoes to split, while strong winds can knock ripe fruit from the plant altogether.

Harvesting veggies before a storm means you'll get to enjoy it rather than finding it bruised or cracked on the ground the next day.

5. Check Your Drainage

One of the biggest risks during intense summer storms isn't the rain itself, but rather where that water ends up.

Clear leaves and debris from drains, gutters, and downspouts, and make sure water has somewhere to escape. If you know parts of your garden are prone to pooling after heavy rain, consider digging shallow channels to direct excess water away from vulnerable plants.

Make The Most Of Summer Storms:

The Rain Chain

Adorafur Rain Chain

A rain chain is a practical (and beautiful) way to collect rainwater for your garden.

The Rain Barrel

RTS Home Accents 50-Gallon Rain Barrel

This aesthetically pleasing rain barrel comes complete with a handy spigot.

The Bee Water Station

Bee Cups Bee Cups 5 Pack

Pop these in your garden and your thirsty pollinators will be sure to thank you.

Look, I get it; the Thunder Moon may be steeped in folklore, but its name is a timely reminder that summer weather can change in an instant. So, while none of us can stop a thunderstorm from rolling in (although wouldn't that be a nifty superpower?), spending just half an hour preparing your garden beforehand can make all the difference.

Secure your plants, harvest what's ready, check your drainage, and let the Thunder Moon be your annual cue to get your garden storm-ready... before nature puts it to the test. And, as an extra bonus, get into that 'when God gives you lemons' mindset and set up a rain barrel or two.

Hey, there's no point wasting free water, right?

July days are often scorching hot. You’re more likely to be hiding out inside than working in the garden, but your backyard birds don’t have any other options. This month can be tough on birds due to the extreme heat and drought conditions, but also because parents are feeding fledglings and young birds are learning how to survive.

Attracting birds to your backyard is a worthy goal, but it’s only the first step. You also need to ensure conditions are optimal for them during the hottest, driest part of the summer.

It doesn’t take expensive gear or a lot of time to improve your wildlife ecosystem. These six simple fixes will transform your yard into a safe summer refuge.

What Backyard Birds Need in July

Your backyard birds have a few basic needs that are especially important in summer:

• Fresh, clean, and cool water
• Reliable food sources
• Shade and shelter
• Safe places to rest

Summer visitors, like robins, cardinals, chickadees, house finches, mourning doves, hummingbirds, and more, need these resources more than ever. Adding to the challenges of heat and dry weather, many birds are actively feeding fledglings. Small changes to your yard now will help adults conserve energy and give fledglings a better chance of surviving the season.

1. Adding Moving Water Sources

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Clean water is a must for birds at any time, but especially in July when many natural sources dry up. They use water for drinking and cooling themselves. Birds are naturally drawn to moving water by its sound and appearance. Moving water in your yard will act like a magnet, guiding birds in the area to a much-needed water source.

A fountain is a great solution, but not strictly necessary if you don’t want the expense. A more cost-effective solution is to add a solar fountain insert to an existing bird bath, like this Mademax one from Amazon. Alternatively, add a wiggler, a little device you put in the water to agitate it and create a rippling surface that has the benefit of deterring mosquitoes from breeding.

Another option is to add a mister attachment to a garden hose, like this Homenote mister. The birds will be drawn to the mist. Place it under a shrub or tall perennials. The water will collect and then drop from the leaves, another attractant for birds.

2. Use Heat-Friendly Foods

(Image credit: Alamy)

Both adults and fledglings need a lot of energy this time of year, but the heat of July can spoil some of the foods you might normally use, like suet.

When feeding birds in summer, you need to switch to foods that stand up to the higher temperatures. Some good options include black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower chips, white millet, unsalted peanuts, nyjer seeds for finches, and mealworms for bluebirds and wrens. Use smaller amounts of food and replenish more frequently to reduce the risk of spoilage.

Your backyard birds spend nearly all day collecting food in July to feed themselves and their fledglings. By providing heatproof food in one or more locations, you reduce the need to fly far or search for food. This helps adults conserve energy and better feed their young.

Best Summer Bird Food

Kaytee Songbird Wild Bird Seed Food

Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Seed

Kaytee Shelled Peanuts

3. Prevent Deadly Window Collisions

(Image credit: Greggory DiSalvo / Getty Images)

Any bird can be easily confused by the reflection of trees and sky on windows and is at risk of a collision. Young birds that are just learning to fly in July are at greater risk. Collisions with windows are often fatal for birds, both old and young, so take steps to keep them safe. Even if a bird seems fine after a strike, it might have serious internal injuries.

Window decals are inexpensive and simple to use. They adhere to windows and break up the confusing reflections. You can find decals specifically designed for this, like these attractive Anti-Collision Window Bird Stickers from Amazon, which can be applied and removed without leaving a residue on the glass. Another option is to hang strings or cords outside windows.

Adding elements to windows is one of the easiest ways to save birds in your yard. You can also position feeders in such a way as to prevent strikes. Keep food sources either within three feet of the window or more than 30 feet away from it.

4. Create Safe, Low-Lying Water Sources for Fledglings

(Image credit: Clark Warren / Getty Images)

As fledglings leave the nest, they spend a lot of time on the ground. Until they learn to fly, they can benefit from access to ground-level water. If you only have pedestal bird feeders, consider adding some shallow dishes of water or puddling areas on the ground.

Any shallow dish will work, but an easy solution you probably already have on hand is a plant pot saucer. Like this DIY bee water station, you just put a layer of pebbles in it, add water, and set it in a safe place. Water at ground level can put birds at risk for predation, so set it near or partly under a shrub so they can take cover as needed. If you have cats, keep them indoors during fledgling season and keep dogs leashed when in the yard.

If you want to watch the baby birds in action, then place a Birdfy smart bird bath on the ground, which sends 2K videos to your phone when they use it.

5. Create Cool-Down Zones

(Image credit: Kurt Strickner / Getty Images)

Birds can easily overheat as temperatures soar in July. You can help them cool down with strategic areas designed to provide shade and shelter. Any shady area will allow birds to lower their body temperatures, but the best areas are also safe and allow them to rest without being too exposed to predators.

Native shrubs provide some of the best shade for birds. The dense, low growth of a shrub is a safe spot and might also provide a food source for some species. If you have a patio, consider adding some potted shrubs near your bird feeders. Shrubs are also helpful near water sources, so birds can take cover if a predator is nearby.

Other garden elements that provide cooling shade include trellises and arbors with vines, small trees, layered beds with shrubs, perennials, and annuals at different heights, and stick piles. Provide several shady areas throughout your yard.

6. Add Ice to Your Bird Bath

(Image credit: Bonnie Taylor Barry / Shutterstock)

Shallow bird bath water can get warm, or even hot, quickly in July. Birds prefer cooler water to get relief from the heat. In fact, they might not use your bird bath at all if the water is too warm. Ice is an easy way to keep water sources from overheating.

Freeze a big block of water using a yogurt container or Tupperware. Add one block of ice to the bird bath each morning. You can even add berries and seeds to the ice, which birds can access for food as it melts.

Alternatively, you can freeze water in an empty pop bottle and float it in the bird bath to lower the water’s temperature. Whichever method you choose to cool it down, be sure to clean out your bird bath regularly and to add fresh, clean water every day.

July Bird Care Essentials

Birdfy Smart Bird Bath With Camera

Youvip Metal Roof Bird Feeder

Mademax 1w Solar Bird Bath Fountain Pump

July is one of the most demanding times of year for birds. Between high temperatures, dry puddles, and hungry fledglings, it can be stressful. Just a few thoughtful and inexpensive changes to your yard can make it much friendlier for your favorite backyard birds. Your outdoor space becomes more than just a garden. It’s a refuge for native wildlife.

Think you need an impressive country estate to help pollinators? Not so! Your perfectly ordinary backyard garden or urban patio can be enough to host a thriving ecosystem if you use smaller, high-reward plants. These compact, high-impact container champions offer massive value without requiring a football-field-sized space to call their own.

Anyone who has the desire to offer bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds the nectar they need can do so in a pollinator garden, no matter how diminutive the space. We’ve found the perfect plants to get you on your way – all of them small but mighty.

Choosing Pint-Size Pollinator Superheroes

When it comes to putting in a pollinator garden, think containers. These “pocket ecosystems” are ideal for smaller nectar-rich plants for obvious reasons: the shorter plants won’t get shadowed or elbowed out by taller or pushier rivals. And it’s easier to give plants in containers the soil (moist and well-draining) and the sunlight that they require. You can even move the containers around the patio as the seasons turn.

If you choose compact plants with tubular or open-stamen flowers, it’s easier for your pollinator friends to get their breakfast. If you wish to attract a specific pollinator species, pick the flower shape they prefer, e.g. deep, tube-shaped blossoms for hummers. But don’t be surprised to see a variety of different pollinators arrive.

Summer Container Planting Essentials

Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix

This special formula is designed to absorb up to a third more water than basic potting soil and feeds plants for up to 6 months.

August Grove Set of 3 Pottery Clay Planters With Ribbed Detailing

This trio of handcrafted planters adds a charming touch to the patio, with the different sizes creating a visual rhythm in the space.

Legigo 19 Lbs Organic Leca Clay Pebbles for Plants

Try topping pots with clay pebbles to help retain moisture in the potting soil in summer.

1. 'Blue Boa' Agastache (Anise Hyssop)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

‘Blue Boa’ is an Agastache hybrid, offering showier flowers and better winter hardiness than the species plant. This cultivar, available from Plant Addicts, is loved for its aromatic leaves and frothy, lilac-blue blooms that attract the entire range of pollinators, from bees to butterflies to hummingbirds.

These bold, attractive plants are hardy in USDA zones 5-9 and need a sunny location and well-draining soil. Never plant any Agastache in clay soil or soil that retains water.

‘Blue Boa’ plants can grow to 3 feet (90 cm) high and half that wide. The pollen-rich flowers grow on 6-foot (2 m) terminal spikes, and the long bloom show lasts from June through September. Consider ‘Blue Boa’ for patio butterfly gardens or cottage gardens.

2. Dwarf Pentas (Pentas lanceolata)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Dwarf pentas – or Egyptian starcluster plants – top out at 1–3 feet (30–90 cm), forming a dome of lush green foliage. Popular varieties include the Lucky Star and Star Bright series – you can pick up a three-pack of Lucky Star plants in 'lavender', 'red' and 'pink' from National Plant Network at Walmart.

While they are hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11, dwarf pentas are often grown as annuals in cooler climes. Plant in a full sun location with good drainage.

The upright plant is topped by star-shaped flowers in a multitude of shades that range from white to crimson. The Egyptian starcluster flowering period is long, from summer through early fall, and the nectar attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

3. Large Firecracker Plant (Cuphea 'Vermillionaire')

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The dense flowers of the large firecracker plant – bright orange tubular blossoms – are a magnet for pollinators, including butterflies and hummingbirds.

Available at Lowe's, Vermillionaire Large Firecracker Plant has a mounding habit and grows to 28 inches (70 cm) tall and almost as wide in both garden beds and containers.

It’s a low-maintenance gem if planted in full sun with well-draining soil. It is hardy in USDA zones 8-11, but is grown as an annual across most of the country.

4. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

When a plant is this easy to grow, you suspect it may be invasive, and sweet alyssum is considered invasive in some areas, where it is best kept to patio pots. This plant forms shallow-rooted mats of foliage with mounds (to 9 inches tall) of well-branched stems with lance-shaped, gray-green leaves.

It is hardy in zones 5–9 but is often grown as an annual. It needs a full sun location in cooler climates and partial sun in warmer climates.

Sweet alyssum is easy to grow from seed – pick up a four-variety pack from Seed Needs via Amazon.

From spring to early summer, the foliage is completely covered with masses of tiny, 4-petaled flowers (to 1” long). The flowers smell like honey and attract many pollinators, including bees, flower flies, stingless wasps, and butterflies. Its abundance of blossoms and long bloom period make it a particularly good nectar plant for beneficial insects.

5. Greek Oregano (Origanum vulgare var. hirtum)

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Yep, the aromatic, pungent leaves of this herb are the ones that you toss into your pasta sauce – usually after they are dried. But did you know that Greek oregano also produces pretty pink, mauve, or white flowers? Flowers appear in summer and early autumn and are compelling to bees and butterflies.

It's best to grow Greek oregano from seed, and you can pick up a pack from Isla's Garden Seed Company via Amazon.

Green oregano thrives in USDA zones 5-8 and grows to about 11 feet (30 cm) tall. It needs a sunny location and well-draining soil. It is remarkably drought-tolerant and free of insects and diseases.

6. Dwarf Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

(Image credit: Alamy)

We all know and love coneflowers, and compact versions offer a dwarf stature and a long summer bloom. Atop the rigid stems, you will find lovely coneflowers, daisy-like blossoms circling around the bronze central cones. Do these attract pollinators? Of course they do. Look for butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees (that come for the nectar in summer) and birds (that come for the seeds in winter).

Good dwarf coneflower varieties include Kim’s Knee High, Tweety, and Sombrero Poco Hot Coral coneflower, available at Woodies Garden Goods,

Coneflowers are hardy in USDA zones 3-8 and can grow to 2 feet (60 cm) tall and wide. They bloom all summer, from June to August, and work well in a meadow, native plant garden, or wildflower garden. Plant in a full or partial sun location in well-draining soil.

7. Calamint (Calamintha nepeta)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

A member of the notorious mint family, calamint is an herbaceous perennial in USDA zones 5–7, growing to 18 inches (45 cm) tall and wide. It forms a dense mat that seems to spread indefinitely, with upright leafy flowering stems that rise above. The leaves are aromatic while the flowers are showy: white tubular blossoms that keep on keeping on from June to September.

Calamint, available to buy online at Woodies Garden Goods, is one of the best plants at attracting pollinators! It is appealing to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, including Monarchs!

Calamint requires sun and well-draining soil, ideally moist. It shows its mint connections with its capacity to spread this way and every way. The plants are tough and accept drought, dry soil, and rocky soil.

8. 'Lilliput' Zinnia Mix (Zinnia elegans ‘Lilliput’)

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you love zinnia plants but would prefer that they were smaller, take a look at the ‘Lilliput’ seed mix – available from Home Grown at Amazon. These fast-growing flowers are semi-dwarfed, topping out at 24 inches (60 cm) tall. They are bushy with wide growth and oodles of round, pompom flowers in a wide variety of solid shades.

Lilliput is an early-blooming zinnia, with flowers appearing in July and continuing to bloom through October. This is an outstanding and easy-care annual with bright flowers in deep red, pink, white, and purple that bees and butterflies love. Plant these zinnias in a full sun location with well-draining soil.

If you’ve got a yard full of hedges, or even some particularly stubborn ones, the Husqvarna Hedge Master 320iHD60 Hedge Trimmer (320i) is made for you.

Don’t let the fact that it’s battery powered fool you; this thing will cut anything and everything you can throw at it. I trimmed my own hedges, including some fairly large branches, as well as my neighbor’s and my parent’s hedges (as a one-time courtesy) and nothing slowed the 320i down.

The 360i is part of Husqvarna’s MAX battery series of tools, which also includes their new Combi Switch multi-tool, as they branch out into the competing space of electric hedge trimmers. The idea is to use the same battery system to power a whole range of outdoor tools and in this case, the 360i comes with the company’s Bli22 battery and charger. The long cutting length means it can get to even the most hard-to-reach places, and the three-position handle makes for easy angle cutting so you’re not breaking your wrists trying to twist the thing.

It also comes with the ability to unjam the blades at the push of a button, so you don’t ever have to worry about getting caught or stuck somewhere and your blade snapping. All the power and features of the Hedge Master make it ideal for even the toughest hedges, but all this makes it fairly heavy so just be ready to take some breaks if using for longer periods.

Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 Hedge Trimmer: price & availability

You can get the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360i from Husqvarna directly, from your local Husqvarna dealer, or from resellers such as Lowe’s, Amazon, and others.

To get one bundled with a battery an charger will set you back $319, but sometimes we’ve seen it for as low as $299. If you’ve already got a compatible battery, you can pick up just the tool itself for $229. This puts it definitely towards the higher end of its competitors, but if you need to be able to cut through just about hedge, you can’t go wrong.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 Hedge Trimmer: First impressions

The first thing I noticed was that the box itself seemed to be a bit more dinged up than I’d expect. My only assumption here is that since mine is a review device, it could quite possible have been a returned item due to the damage of the box. I can’t say for sure, but I would hope assume that most first-time purchase boxes would be in better shape. It also could entire have happened during transit, but either way, it arrived with some dings to the box.

Once inside the box, I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of plastic and Styrofoam present. Some of the pieces had their own plastic bags, but for the most part everything in the packaging was cardboard, which was nice to see. It was also nice that there was essentially no assembly required. You can quickly insert the included option sweeper on top of the blade if you like, but that’s all you would need to do. I also very much appreciated that they included hardware to mount the battery charger to the wall if desired. Other battery-powered tools I’ve purchased did not include that.

After I had it out of the box and got a good look at it, it was clear to see that the 360i means business. The teeth are large and sharp and it’s clear this thing is ready to work.

Future / Jason CockerhamFuture / Jason CockerhamFuture / Jason CockerhamHusqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60: Design

The Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 is extremely easy to use. The large handles are easy to grasp, especially while wearing gloves, and the D-shaped forward handle makes it easy to slide your hand around as you turn the trimmer when changing cutting angles. The safety button built-in the forward handle covers the entire length of the handle so you don’t ever have to take your hand off when adjusting. While the rear handle doesn’t rotate for seamlessly switching cutting angles like on some competitor models, “tri-handle” still makes it fairly easy to rotate quickly.

The large cutting blade certainly helps reach the trickier spots, but that does mean the whole thing is quite large. You’ll need to reserve plenty of space in your garage or tool shed for it. Also, while not as heavy as a gas-powered hedge trimmer, the 360i is still quite heavy, especially for prolonged periods or higher up places. It’s not necessarily a deal breaker, but if you don’t need all the power of the 360i, you could certainly find something smaller and lighter.

(Image credit: Future / Jason Cockerham)

The battery operation does allow for adjustable speeds, however. Just above the power button on the handle is another button that adjusts the cutting speed letting you opt for more power when you need it and more battery life when you don’t. Next to the speed controls is a release button that will open the teeth allowing any stuck branches to fall out; no more jammed blade.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Husqvarna Hedge Master 320iHD60 Cordless Hedge Trimmer: key specs

Model no:

320iHD60

Blade length:

24 in.

Cutting size:

Up to 1 in.

Cutting speed:

3,800 cut/min

Fuel

Batter - BLi22, 36V / 4.0 Ah

Weight:

8lbs (without battery)

Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60: Performance

The Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 absolutely lives up to its name. No matter what I tried to cut with it, it sliced through it cleanly like a hot knife through butter. I started on a few small, rounded shrubs we have and was able to give them a nice trim in a couple of minutes.

As they are about the height of our garage, this is really where the large size and weight of the 360i made an impact. It almost became a bit unwieldy on such small shrubs. I was certainly feeling it after a couple of minutes, but luckily it didn’t take me long and this hedge trimmer is not designed for such small bushes. To get your money’s worth, you need to take on some larger shrubs.

So that’s what I did.

(Image credit: Future / Jason Cockerham)

Next, I tackled our much larger shrub on the other side of the house and appreciated even more the power and versatility of the Hedge Master. Trimming this hedge has taken me as long as half an hour in the past doing it by hand, but now I can knock it out in less than 10 minutes.

(Image credit: Future / Jason Cockerham)

I also cut an entire row of my neighbor’s waist-high hedges and again was thoroughly impressed with how quickly and neatly I was able to do it. Not only did the Hedge Master cut through everything fast, it left clean, precise cuts, almost as if done by professionals. On some of the thicker spots in the hedges I cranked up the cutting speed and whipped through them with no problem. I even cut through some branches that were fairly thick and never had an issue.

I was pleased to see that battery life was never an issue either. Granted, I wasn’t using it for hours at a time, but most people should not have any trouble trimming their hedges in one charge. The LED indicator on the battery is helpful for keeping track of how much juice you’ve got left.

Once you’re done for the day, there’s really no way to easily disassemble or collapse the Hedge Master so you’ll just have to make room in your garage or tool shed. I do recommend covering the blades between uses with the included blade cover, particularly if you’ve got kids around.

Blade cover to protect the blade (and your fingers!) (Image credit: Future / Jason Cockerham)

Before you put it away, it’s a good idea to make sure there are any leaves or wood chips stuck in the blades and that could damage them over time. Other than a gentle cleaning every now and then sharpening the blades from time to time should be all you need to do.

Score: 5 out of 5

Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60: User reviews

Customer reviews of the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 all echo one another, all speaking highly about the battery-powered tool. It's worth noting that the majority of the reviews I'm reading are incentivized, and the reviews appear across multiple sites; I'll highlight anything standout.

Looking direct on the Husqvarna site it has overall scored 4.8-out-of-5 stars. Reviewers rave about the long battery-life, and how easy and safe it is to use. There is a comment about the cost of batteries for it, though, and the size being bigger than expected. Still, from what I can see, even those three reviews who gave it four stars speak well about it.

Over on reseller sites, Amazon customers have given it an overall rating of 4.6-out-of-five stars. One reviewer says "Great product for the value, I would recommend this to others needing a professional type hedger" whereas another said "This Husqvarna Hedge Master trimmer is exactly what I was looking for". There is a negative comment, though, which is about the lack of power but this seems to be an unfortunate isolated incident. And on Lowe's it scored 4.5-out-of-5 stars with an independent reviewer noting that the trimmer is great to what they had before, but it arrived in a wet box.

Should you buy the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60?Score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Price & availability

A bit pricey but worth if you have the need. It comes with a battery and is easy to find.

★★★★½

Design

Well built with useful features, best for larger, thicker hedges

★★★★½

Performance

Exceptional trimming performance with plenty of battery life

★★★★★

Buy it if...

You want something easy to use

One of the biggest benefits of battery-powered tools is that they startup instantly without any hassle.

You want to cut all the things

The Hedge Master is quite appropriately named. With its adjustable cutting speeds, it can handle even the trickiest hedges and even branches up to an inch thick.

You want something durable and eco-friendly

Using battery power is typically better for the environment and the Husqvarna build quality is among the best.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t need a lot of power

If you don’t have a lot of hedges, or anything particularly thick, you could certainly do with something a bit smaller and lighter. Not to mention less expensive.

You're on a budget

The Hedge Master is among the pricier hedge trimmers we’ve tested. There are plenty of other good options available for much less.

You don't want to rely on batteries

There are certainly some cases where you would need the power and reliability of a gas-powered hedge trimmer. In that case, you'll need to look elsewhere.

How does the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 Hedge Trimmer compare?

Overall, the Husqvarna Hedge Master performed tremendously during my testing and offers a lot of value for the money. But as with everything, it’s not perfect.

Lucky for us, Husqvarna isn’t the only hedge trimmer manufacturer in town. If you only have a few small hedges and a good extension cord, the Greenworks 24V is a solid, low-cost option.

For those with taller shrubs or trees that need a good trimming, the DEWALT 20V is well-made.

How I tested the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60

I tested as many different types of hedges as I had access to for this review. I started with two small, ball-shaped shrubs that stand about head height outside my garage. Next, I attacked a rather large rounded hedge on the corner of our house that had not been trimmed in over two years. Lastly, I trimmed several rows of waist-high rectangular hedges at a few different locations.