Summer keeps us busy in the garden. We see plants shooting up, flowers showing off their colors, and vegetables ripening under the sun. It can feel like a lot to keep up with. We get it. That’s why we’ve put together a garden care guide to help you through the summer. With steady habits and the right tips, you can keep your yard healthy through the heat and dry spells.

We’ll walk you through every part of your space, from bright flower beds to tiny bonsai trees, and show you what to do to keep everything growing strong.

Caring for Flower Beds and Borders

Mulch Your Beds

When you spread a 2-inch layer of mulch over bare soil, it can cut down water loss by anywhere from about one-third to over half, depending on the type of mulch you choose and the weather conditions you face. You’ll find this helps reduce how often you have to water, sometimes by 25 to 50 percent.

That takes pressure off your plants and saves both your time and your water bill. Keeping mulch at around 7.5 centimeters (roughly 3 inches) works best. Less mulch means the soil heats up too fast, and too much can smother roots by cutting off air flow. A good mulch cover also shields your soil from harsh temperatures, preventing big swings that could stress the roots as the seasons change.

Pull Weeds Promptly

Weeds do more damage than most people expect. A few scattered weeds can steal moisture and nutrients your flowers need to grow. A single dandelion plant can push out up to 15,000 seeds a year, with each flower carrying between 150 and 200 seeds. One plant can grow up to 10 flowers, which could easily cover your garden in unwanted seedlings if left alone.

The best time to pull weeds is when they’re small. Hand-pulling stops them from forming deep roots and spreading seeds, sparing you bigger problems later. Letting weeds take over can slash your flower or crop production by more than 30 percent in some situations. Regular weekly weeding not only protects your plants but keeps the beds looking neat and orderly.

Deadhead Faded Blooms

Cutting off dead flowers, known as deadheading, tells many annuals and perennials to stop focusing on seeds and start making new flowers. As part of regular summer garden care, this simple step often brings a second wave of blooms. Petunias, for instance, can keep producing strong blooms for months if deadheaded each week.

Left alone, the same plants fade much quicker. Removing old flowers also lowers the chance of fungal infections and improves air circulation around the plant. This simple task can reduce disease problems by up to 25 percent for plants prone to infection. Use sharp, clean scissors or snips and make your cut just above the next leaf node.

That encourages new shoots and keeps your plants looking tidy and healthy.

Mow High and Often (but Not Too Short)

During the summer, set your mower to leave the grass about 3 inches tall. Longer grass shades the soil better, which can lower water evaporation by up to 58 percent and helps the soil stay cooler so roots are less stressed by the heat. When you keep grass at this height, it grows deeper roots, often reaching down 6 to 8 inches. The grass puts energy into both its blades and roots at the same time, which makes it stronger overall.

Stick to what many call the one-third rule. Only trim off a third of the grass blade length when you mow. For a 3-inch lawn, that means mowing before it grows taller than 4.5 inches. Cutting off too much at once can damage the grass, leaving brown tips, slowing down how fast it recovers, and making it easier for pests and disease to take hold.

Water Deeply but Not Every Day

Lawns need about 1 to 1.5 inches of water each week, which includes any rain that falls. Instead of watering lightly every day, soak the lawn deeply once or twice a week. This gets the roots to grow down farther as they search for moisture, which makes the grass better able to handle dry spells and cuts the risk of roots rotting near the surface.

Water early in the morning between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. if you want to reduce evaporation by up to 50 percent compared to watering at midday or later. Watering early also gives the grass time to dry off, which lowers the chances of fungal disease. When heat hits hard, your lawn might go into dormancy and turn brown to save energy and water.

That is normal. A light watering of about a quarter inch every four weeks can keep it alive without waking it up from that rest period.

Shrubs and Young Trees: How to Prune, Protect Them

Some shrubs, like lilac, forsythia, and rhododendron, bloom before mid-June and grow their flower buds on old wood from the season before. As part of your summer garden care routine, prune them right after the blooms fade and petals start to drop to avoid cutting off next year’s flowers. You can do light trimming outside this period to remove dead or damaged branches, but hold off on any big cuts until flowering has finished.

Other shrubs, including butterfly bush and hibiscus, form buds on new growth later in the season. You can trim these back after their main bloom in mid-summer. This helps shape the shrub and encourages a second, lighter round of flowers.

After storms or if you notice dead wood, use the three-cut method to remove branches safely. Start with a small cut underneath near the trunk, follow with a second cut farther out to take off the weight, and finish with a clean cut at the branch collar. This stops the bark from tearing and helps the plant heal. Taking out broken or diseased branches right away keeps garden pests from settling in and helps the plant push out healthy new growth.

Stay Alert for Pests and Diseases

Check your garden twice a week so you can spot trouble early. Aphids often target roses and young shoots. A single aphid can give birth to 10 to 20 nymphs daily, which can quickly turn into a full infestation. Spray them with soapy water as soon as you see them to stop a colony from taking over. Japanese beetles attack more than 300 plant species, eating the tissue between leaf veins and weakening shrubs. Hand-picking them in the early morning can get rid of hundreds at a time.

Watch out for fungal leaf spots like anthracnose and cercospora, which thrive when it’s warm and damp. If the disease affects more than 5 percent of the leaf area, prune away infected leaves and improve air flow around the plant. You can also apply fungicidal soap if needed. In the fall, always rake up and get rid of fallen leaves to prevent diseases from carrying over into winter.

Water Young Trees and Shrubs the Right Way

Newly planted trees should get about 1 to 1.5 gallons of water for every inch of trunk thickness each week. Water slowly over 20 to 30 minutes to soak the full root ball. Young shrubs should receive water equal to about 25 to 33 percent of the soil volume from their container each week. That encourages roots to grow into the surrounding soil.

Form a shallow ring or basin around the trunk to keep water from running off and apply water directly to the root zone. Spread mulch 2 to 3 inches deep but keep it 3 to 6 inches away from the trunk to hold moisture and block weeds without causing the trunk to rot. When the weather turns dry, add an extra deep watering every 10 to 14 days. Always water early in the morning to reduce evaporation and keep leaves drier, which lowers the chance of disease.

Keep Your Vegetable and Herb Garden Thriving All Season

Harvesting beans, peppers, tomatoes, and other crops every few days signals your plants to send energy into creating new fruits and shoots. Studies on leafy vegetables have shown that cutting more often can increase leaf growth by as much as 30 percent compared to leaving plants alone too long.

We head out nearly every morning to collect ripe vegetables since cooler, early conditions help them stay up to 20 percent crisper and sweeter than if picked later. Staying on schedule with harvesting also stops vegetables from over-ripening, which can attract unwanted pests. A single fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs on one decaying fruit, leading to fast infestations if ignored.

Vegetable gardens need about 1 inch of water weekly. Light watering every day leads to shallow roots and stressed plants. Instead, we give our plants a good soak once or twice a week, soaking the soil at least 6 to 8 inches deep to promote stronger roots. Covering the soil with 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch cuts evaporation by 40 to 90 percent, helping you water less often while still keeping moisture levels steady for bigger harvests.

We always water early in the morning to reduce evaporation by as much as 50 percent and avoid wet foliage overnight, which can cause fungal problems.

By mid-summer, cool-weather crops like peas and lettuce usually fade out in the heat. We pull them by mid-July and switch to fast-growing vegetables like bush beans and summer squash, which can be harvested in 50 to 60 days. Come August, we plant carrots that will be ready in about 70 to 80 days, giving us fresh roots by fall.

We also set out broccoli transplants from late July into early August. These form heads once cooler fall temperatures arrive and are ready in 60 to 85 days, stretching our fresh harvests into November.

Keeping Your Bonsai Trees Healthy and Strong Through the Heat

Bonsai trees living in small pots lose moisture much faster than trees planted in the ground. During summer garden care, you may need to water them once or even twice a day to keep them thriving. Outdoor bonsai tree sitting in full sun on hot days often benefit from an early soak in the morning and another light watering in the evening to hold steady moisture levels.

To know when your bonsai needs water, press your finger about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) into the soil. If it feels just barely dry, it’s time to water. When watering, do it thoroughly until you see water draining freely from the bottom holes of the pot. Pause for the soil to soak it up, and repeat if needed.

The best time to water is early in the morning when evaporation is lowest, or in the cooler evening hours. Avoid watering during the hottest part of the day to prevent stressing the tree.

Give Them Shade When the Sun Is Harsh

Even bonsai trees that love sunlight can suffer when summer temperatures soar. Too much direct sun can cause the pot to overheat and the leaves to burn. As part of your summer garden care routine, protect your trees from this stress.

Using a shade cloth with 50 to 70 percent coverage draped over the bonsai can block the strongest rays between noon and 4 p.m. Grouping your pots so taller trees shield smaller ones creates a cooler mini-climate. You can also move trees that are more sensitive, like maples or azaleas, to a spot where they get bright morning light but enjoy filtered shade in the afternoon.

Trim and Inspect with Care

Skip heavy pruning or repotting during midsummer since the heat can weaken your bonsai. Instead, lightly pinch or snip back only soft, new shoots to keep the shape you want without setting the tree back.

Summer is a good time to wire deciduous trees because the branches bend easily and heal faster. But wiring needs extra attention. Check your bonsai often to avoid wire marks or scars. Examine every branch where wire touches and remove the wire at the first sign of any indentation. During the fast summer growth phase, inspect wiring every 2 to 4 weeks.

As late summer approaches, pay close attention, especially on pines, which can swell quickly and trap wire deep into the bark.

Celebrate the Joy of Summer Gardening

When we follow our summer garden care routine, every corner of the yard gets the attention it needs to stay healthy through the long, warm season. Summer gardening thrives on simple habits and paying close attention. Giving your plants a little time each day can prevent big problems later and keep everything growing strong.

Make sure you take time to enjoy it too. Step outside in the quiet morning hours to water, or relax in the evening as you trim faded blooms and gather fresh vegetables. Gardening keeps us connected to the changing rhythm of nature, and summer garden care brings that energy and growth right to your backyard. With these simple maintenance tips from Hooked On Bonsai, your garden can stay productive and beautiful all season. So grab your hat, stay cool, and enjoy every moment you spend in your garden.