It's time to prune shrubs to control the size

Good growing conditions in June have brought on lots of growth in the garden. Early July is a good time to prune your shrubs to control their size and shape. Later in summer watch for flower buds on shrubs such as lilacs and fragrant viburnums that flower on old wood. Heavy pruning of these shrubs late in season will reduce next year's flowers. Weeds are growing well too and are easier to pull out when the soil is moist.

General garden care

Prune shrubs that put on a lot of growth this year. Prune them as needed to keep them in the proper scale. Growth will be mostly hardened off in early July so there will be little regrowth when pruned at this time.

Try using a pair of hand pruners instead of an electric hedge clipper to create a more natural look by making individual cuts at different heights throughout the shrubs. For a more formal look make cuts at the same height. Prune right above the leaves to help hide the cuts. Careful pruning will leave the plants smaller but not looking "sheared." Remove dead wood as necessary.

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.

Watch for spider mite damage on your plants. The small spider mites can be detected by taking a piece of white paper and striking some plant foliage on it. The mites can be seen moving slowly on the paper.

Populations can build quickly, especially during hot, dry spells of weather. Mites feed on leaves, causing fine spotting on the foliage. Where large populations attack, injured and chlorotic areas can join together, causing large portions of the leaf or the entire leaf to turn yellow or bronze. It is not uncommon to find hundreds of mites and eggs on a single leaf. Webbing may be visible, but the silk-producing habits of spider mites vary. Use a jet of water to knock the spider mites off the plant instead of chemical controls to preserve natural predators.

Insecticidal soap, summer-weight horticultural oil, or a miticide spray may be needed if populations are large. Be sure to read and follow label instructions to maximize effectiveness and to avoid damaging the plant.

Weeds growing between cracks in brickwork or sidewalks are unsightly but easy to eliminate. Treat them with a nonselective herbicide when they are small to avoid having to pull them out by hand.

This is a good time to cut some of your outdoor flowers for indoor display. It is best to cut the flowers during a cool part of the day and to put them in water as quickly as possible. Remove any foliage that will be under the water in the vase. Adding a preservative to the water can lengthen the life of the flowers.

Installing drain tile can help in certain situations where soils are too wet. The pipe must slope evenly from the highest point to the lowest point where water can discharge out of your garden. Adding a drain will not help your soggy conditions if it does not move the water out of the garden. Digging a hole and filling it with gravel will not help with drainage as the water has nowhere to go. The drain should be installed in the lowest area of the bed and the soil above the drain should not be compacted or heavy clay, which would prevent water from reaching the drain. If you have catch basins as part of an existing drainage system, be sure to clean debris out of them on a regular basis.

An easy way to screen central air-conditioning units or other unsightly objects when space is limited is to build a lattice fence around them. The design should be simple and complement the style of your home and garden. Grow vines on the lattice to soften the look.

It is time to fertilize your hybrid roses for the second time. Water the roses first before applying a dilute 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 mix. If you are growing roses susceptible to black spot, the number-one fungal problem of roses, continue to apply a recommended fungicide every seven to 10 days. Black spot affects rose foliage, turning the leaves yellow with dark spots before they drop to the ground. Remove all infected foliage from the garden bed since the fungus will remain on the leaves and reinfect the rosebush. To increase rose flowers, remove faded

flowers (deadhead) regularly. When cutting roses to bring inside, cut back to a point on the stem where there are five leaflets. Wait until newly planted roses are well-established and producing vigorous growth before cutting flowers for interior use.

Vegetable garden

Keep in mind these general rules when harvesting most vegetable crops.

First, it is important to harvest vegetables when they are at the peak of their flavor. Younger plants and fruits are often more tender than those left on the plant longer. The length of time vegetables remain edible depends on weather conditions. High temperatures hasten maturity.

It is also important to handle carefully during harvest time. Check the garden daily and remove any ripe, damaged or misshapen fruits. Fruits that are not easily removed from the plant, such as eggplant, should be cut with a knife. Harvest on a regular basis to encourage production.

Many plants, such as cucumber, okra and zucchini will cease production if mature fruits are not harvested.

Continue harvesting herbs any time you need them. You usually can take all you want from rapid-growing herbs such as mint, but go lightly on plants recently planted. It is also important to leave enough foliage for plants to develop normally. Many herbs are harvested for drying and storing. The best time to cut them is just as they come into flower - this is when flavor is at its peak because the volatile oils are most abundant. Thyme can be cut when in full flower. Harvest in the morning after the dew has dried and before the leaves are in hot sun. Avoid

harvesting in the afternoon, when some fragrant oils are lost in the heat of the day.

Lawn

Established bluegrass lawns need an inch of water a week to continue to actively grow and stay green throughout the summer. Water deeply once a week rather than lightly multiple times a week. This promotes a deeper root system so the grass will hold up better to stress. To determine how long it takes your sprinkler to deliver one inch, set out a coffee, tuna or other shallow can with straight sides and time how long it takes to fill with an inch of water. Be consistent with your watering practices - either water on a regular basis all summer or let your grass go dormant during hot, dry periods. If your soils are heavy and long periods of watering start to run off then you may need to split watering into a couple times per week.

•Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden.