Deadhead hybrid roses to promote new flowers
Deadhead hybrid 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.
• Prune out water sprouts (vigorous shoots on the inside of the tree and on the trunk) and suckers (vigorous shoots growing from the base of the plant). Crabapples and hawthorns tend to send out lots of water sprouts and can benefit from this type of pruning.
• Grubs can be a problem in lawns. The adult beetles are attracted to irrigated lawns that are surrounded by dry lawns for their egg laying in early summer. If the season is dry and you are the only one watering the lawn on the block, you will have a greater chance of having grubs.
Your lawn may or may not have a problem with grubs this year so you do not need to automatically treat for them.
Typically, when there are 8 to 12 grubs per square foot, visible damage will occur as they feed on the roots of the grass. The lawn will brown out later in the season when hot and dry weather increases stress on the lawn. Raccoons and skunks will dig in lawns for the grubs - this is often the first sign of grubs.
If you decide to use a chemical treatment, be sure to read the label carefully to make sure you are using the right product at the right time of year. Products designed to prevent grubs are generally applied from late June to mid-July. There are products designed for quick kill of grubs that are applied later in the season when grubs reach a threshold in the lawn that is causing damage and you see the results.
There is no need to control a small number of grubs that the lawn can withstand. In any case, use an insecticide labeled for grubs at the proper time of year. I do not water my own lawn nor apply any grub controls and have never had a problem with grubs causing any noticeable damage to my turf, only minor damage that most would not notice.
• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.