The crisp nights and cooler days have arrived- a sure sign that fall is around the corner. Fall is generally a time of yard work and many people become very enthusiastic to tackle outdoor chores. While there is certainly lots to do before the snow flies, pruning is the one task that we want to minimize at this time of year.

We are in the dog days of summer and while it may seem like our gardening ‘to do’ list is virtually complete, there are certainly tasks to be done! This point in the growing season is a great time to address excessive growth and keep things in check.

Another main deadheading technique that gardeners use is deadheading to a lateral bud/flower. This technique is really easy, once you know what you are looking for. So let’s start with the basics… what on earth is a lateral bud or flower?!

We are still in the thick of summer deadheading- the constant attempt to tidy perennials, prolong their bloom or encourage a repeat bloom (depending on the perennial). If you like non-precise gardening tasks, this type of deadheading is for you!

So I was going to make my next post about deadheading but I stumbled upon something today that really up’d the cool factor (in an incredibly geeky sort of way). Garden pests. It is a love hate relationship for most gardeners…

Well the time has come for daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) to shine…blooms of all sorts of colours rising above their grassy foliage. Then, just as quickly as they begin to shine, they start to ‘un-shine’ (if this is not a word, I would like to propose it as a new one).

Deadheading. It sounds more like a Halloween post than a gardening one but this is one of the most common tasks that a landscape gardener will undertake during the growing season.