For more info, help, and advice on these or other lawn and garden topics, contact your Polk County Extension Director, Scott Welborn. 

Spring and summer is the perfect time to plant herbaceous perennial flowers. You will find these plants at all garden centers and big box stores for the entire summer based on their bloom times. The key to growing good perennial flowers is drainage. Once established, they need relatively little irrigation and thrive with good soil drainage. The biggest killer of these plants is water hanging around the roots during the winter so soil prep is the key to enduring plants.

Many plants will stop blooming once the plant begins to set seed. You can prolong the bloom period of both annuals and perennials by “deadheading” the spent flowers (pinching or cutting off the flower stem below the spent flower and just above the first set of full, healthy leaves.) Continue to pinch back herbs. Prune climbing roses after they bloom; fertilize at that time. Prune your traditional hydrangeas after the blooms fade. You can also do light pruning on hollies and hedging plants all though the summer season to keep them looking tidy.

Brown patch can be a big problem in tall fescue lawns and is already making itself known by appearing as brown circular patches in the lawn. In order to limit damage, mow when grass is dry and avoid fertilizers with high nitrogen. There are several fungicides that you can choose from to treat brown patch such as “Heritage” (Azoxystrobin), “Banner Maxx” (Propaconozil) or “Headway,” which is a combination of both. They are available in liquid form but can also be purchased in a granular which is the easiest to apply for most people. There are other fungicides available, just make sure to choose one labeled for brown patch. When planting a fescue lawn, try to use a seed mixture that contains at least 3 varieties of fescue to prevent entire lawn death when diseases hit. Also, remember to water in the morning so as not to allow the grass to stay wet all night. Water is important for fescue that is being mowed. It needs an inch per week, or it may start to look really bad and could possibly die–especially during droughts. If watering isn’t your thing, consider Zoysia or Bermuda which are generally more drought tolerant. For more fescue info, explore our blog: 4 Steps That Help Fescue Thrive

Bagworms are relatively easy to control at this time of year on plants such as junipers, arborvitae, and leyland cypress. Inspect susceptible plants for tiny worms and spray with Dipel or Thuricide (these are biological controls that contain a bacteria).

These unwelcome guests hold their family reunion at your house in June/July. Hand-pick by holding a container of soapy water under the branch and tapping the branch. The beetle’s natural instinct is to drop when disturbed from above. Or, you may spray with pesticides labeled for Japanese Beetles. Spray late in the day, if possible, since that’s when bees are no longer active. Traps are not recommended. If you do use them, put them as far away as possible from the plant you want to protect, and be sure to empty them every 2 days. Apply a soil insecticide to kill Japanese Beetle grubs in early August.

These critters are a problem we all face, especially in the lower elevations. Pastures can become overrun with ants if we don’t treat regularly. For small infestations, liquid Carbaryl (Sevin) can be drenched over the mounds. Typically, it takes 1 gallon of mixture to eliminate a mound. In larger areas, you may consider purchasing fire ant baits that are spread in a granular form. These baits take a while to eliminate mounds as the workers must take the bait into the nest for the queen to consume. In small areas, drenching the mound with Carbaryl is the quickest, most satisfying way to eliminate an active fire ant mound. For more information about managing fire ants in the landscape, pick up a copy of our Polk County Fire Ant Brochure at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Polk County Center.

NOTE: The use of brand names in this publication does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of the products or services named nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned.