Tips for nurishing your roses, lawn
Deadhead hybrid tea roses as soon as the flowers fade. Many shrub roses are self-cleaning and don't require deadheading. When in doubt, lightly prune old blossoms to keep the plant looking attractive. Do not deadhead any roses that are being grown for their hip production; removing the flowers will prevent the fruit from forming.
Prune out water sprouts (vigorous shoots growing from the trunk of a tree) and suckers (vigorous shoots growing from the base). Crabapples and hawthorns tend to send out lots of water sprouts and can benefit from this type of pruning.
Grubs sometimes can be a problem in lawns. They are the larvae of some kinds of beetles and feed on the roots of grass plants.
The presence of grubs varies from year to year, so do not automatically treat for them; wait to see if you have a problem this year. Often the first sign of grubs are the holes made by raccoons and skunks digging for them.
Typically, you will see visible damage when there are eight to 12 grubs per square foot. When hot, dry weather later in the summer increases stress on the grass plants, damaged areas will turn brown. If you have fewer grubs and they are not doing substantial damage to the lawn, there is no need to control them.
If you choose to try to control grubs, use an insecticide labeled for grubs. Read the product label carefully to be sure it is the right product and that you are using it at the right time of year.
Products designed to prevent grubs are generally applied late June to mid-July. Some products are designed for quick kill of grubs and are applied later in the season, when grubs reach a threshold that is causing damage. and you can see the results.
Watering your grass regularly can lead to more grubs. The adult beetles prefer to lay their eggs in damp soil and will be attracted to irrigated lawns. If the season is dry and yours is the only lawn on the block that is being watered, the beetles will prefer your lawn over the dry ones.
• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.