Cut off any dry foliage on spring blooming bulbs such as gladiolas and irises. Divide and replant any crowded clumps.

Clean up any fallen fruit, vegetables and flowers to help head off future pest problems.

Looking for colorful additions for shady areas? Try impatiens and begonias, now available at nurseries and garden centers.

Make the nursery the last shopping stop of the day. Plants left in a hot car can die in as little as 15 minutes.

Harvest zucchini when the fruit is no more than 8 inches long.

Potted plants on a hot porch need to be watered thoroughly. Dunk the pot into a bucket of water or slowly water the container with a hose.

If you use grass clippings as a mulch around trees and shrubs, let them dry out thoroughly to prevent matting and rotting.

Repot one to two-inch cuttings of coleus and geraniums in small containers for use as indoor potted plants for this winter and as outdoor plants in next year's garden.

If grasshoppers have stripped any trees or shrubs of their leaves, reduce the plant's stress by watering deeply with a soaker hose around the dripline twice a month during the summer.

Reduce the chance of sunburn on the bark of leafless trees and shrubs by painting the trunk and stems with white interior latex paint, diluted with water.

Want to increase the number of summertime flowers or the amount of tomatoes and peppers at harvest time? Use a fertilizer now with more phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen, such as an 8-10-10 formulation.

Attract ladybugs to help battle aphids in your garden by including these ladybug-attractive plants in your problem areas: dill, golden marguerite, coriander and Queen Anne's lace.

Looking for houseplants that don't need much care? Try philodendron, the Chinese evergreen or the peperomia. All of these can take low levels of light and only need a thorough watering once a month.

Dig down a foot and check the soil moisture around stressed shrubs and trees. A handful of this dirt that is either dry or muddy indicates the plant is underwatered or overwatered.

New research shows the benefits of summertime deciduous fruit tree pruning to keep trees at a manageable height, with the fruit within easy reach. Cut back or remove branches above that height.

Plant your last section of sweet corn when the crape myrtle is in bloom.

Press your fingernail into a kernel of corn; if the liquid is milky, not clear, it's ready to eat!

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