What a crowd! The Lavender Festival was quite a success. The new benches were used by visitors and citizens alike. They are an asset to the downtown area.

This heat is not conducive to gardening, but you can begin to think about your plants for the fall. You can start tomatoes from seed or plant transplants. The hot weather plants are: okra, tomatoes, southern peas, squash, cucumbers, sweet corn, peanuts, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Flowers to plant are: Copper plants, all salvias, purslane, moss rose, Tacoma Stans (yellow bells), lantana, and others. Visit your favorite nursery. There are many new varieties that you will enjoy. If your garden area isn’t fenced, the deer will destroy the plants. There isn’t anything for them to eat this year. They are keeping my yard fence trimmed. The vines and plants are very compact at this time.

Just a word of caution – this is the time of year to remove the “Pups” from the mother Sago palm. Use a very sharp, heavy-duty knife to remove the young plants. The “Pups” are very toxic. Wear gloves while working with them and keep animals and children away from them. The hottest part of the summer is the best time to work with palms, removing or planting.

“Deadhead” or remove old blooms, and cut back annuals, perennials and roses to promote more blooms. Additional fertilizer should be applied after deadheading. Try foliar feeding in the early morning or late evening. Medina Hasta-gro is good for foliar feeding. The granules Rose-glo will help to add blooms.

If you have brown spots in your lawn it could be grubworms. Treat it if you have three or more grubs to each square foot.

Crape myrtles are starting to bloom. Fertilizer and water will be needed for a longer blooming period.