July and August are generally our hottest and driest months here in Connecticut. The humid days don’t count as not being dry.

Did you know that mowing to the appropriate height reduces water loss and helps lower soil temperatures? Keep your irrigation maintained and running to accommodate the drier months.   Don’t forget your lawns need fertilizer.

Weed before they set seeds! Some weeds will continue to develop their seeds even after you pull them, so be sure to remove them from your garden area.

Apply a post emergent weed control. Any weeds that germinated and got past your pre-emergent application need to get a blast of post emergent weed control now.

Mid July is the time to stop pinching off your mums.  Continue to dead head annuals and perennials for a longer bloom.

All of the shrubs that have stopped blooming are ready for pruning.

Edging the sidewalks is also a quick way to get rid of the straggly look that can start happening around now.

You’ll definitely see our lawn maintenance department out there diligently trying to make your yard a masterpiece. Edging and pruning are the signs that summer is here and we’re out there shaping things up.

Don’t forget that mulch isn’t all that is required to keep down weeds. Before applying mulch a good pre-emergent weed control should be applied after the worst of the weeds have been hand pulled. If you need any help with this we are always ready to give you a helping hand.

Well I will have you know I have received feedback to our newsletter.  It’s the first time and I am really thrilled to share it with you.

As to some of my favorite perennials - and yes, I try to keep mostly to perennials so that I don't have to replant every year.  Astilbe (in all of its various varieties) is one of my favorites.  We have a lot of shade in our yard, and astilbe has worked great.  And under the right conditions, it will multiply year after year.  I have transplanted astilbe to other parts of my yard and to our place in mid-state NH. 

Evening primrose also works well, but can be very invasive, spreading quickly. 

Best regards, Libby Strough

My very favorite shade perennial is Hosta – there are many varieties, so color and different leaf sizes can add different looks to your garden.  Most shade perennials have little to no fragrance. If you’re looking for some fragrance why not try Phlox – the perennial not the annual.

With the dry weather approaching the following are some thoughts if you’re interested in drought resistant plants, both annuals and perennials.

Annuals: Geranium, marigold, petunia, annual phlox, cosmos, dusty miller, strawflower, verbena, lantana and zinnias just to name a few.

Perennials:  Yarrow, butterfly weed, indigo, coreopsis, daylilies, liatris, poppy, ground phlox, rudbeckia (black eyed susans), sedum and many kinds of ornamental grasses.

We will hold a raffle again this year of all returned Customer Survey checklists.

Two surveys will be drawn and the winners will receive a $50.00 Chamber of Commerce gift certificate, which is redeemable at a multitude of businesses.  There is a list provided with the certificate of all participating businesses, restaurants, stores.

It’s time to think about what your yard will need, so that in the summer it will look its best. Late August into September is a time for planting new trees. Over seeding, slit seeding, hydro seeding also will have good results if done in between August 15th thru October. Give us a call if you’d like to improve your lawn.

This past month sure has been a strange one.  We had some record breaking heat in the beginning of the month with some really big thunderstorms.

When it’s raining hard and certainly if there is lightning our crews will attempt to wait it out in their trucks.  Pat watches the weather carefully and lets them know whether they should come out of the rain.  It puts a real crimp in getting some of our jobs done in a timely fashion, Once again thank you for your patience. 

Did you know that July starts on the same day of the week as April every year and January on leap years?

Independence Day
JULY 4th

The Declaration of Independence is considered to be the founding document of the United States of America, where July 4 is celebrated as Independence Day and the nation's birthday. At the time the Declaration was issued, the American colonies were "united" in declaring their independence from Great Britain. John Hancock, as the elected President of Congress, was the only person to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4th. It was not until the following month on August 2nd that the remaining 55 other delegates began to sign the document.