It’s not too early to think spring for bulb shopping
Even though the calendar says it’s summer, it is time to plan for and order spring-flowering bulbs for your garden or container.
You will have a better chance of getting the specific varieties you want by ordering early.
Soil in a bulb garden should be well drained. Any area in the garden that remains wet for long periods of time — or has standing water for any length of time — is unsuitable for bulbs. They prefer moisture in spring and fall, but dry conditions in the summer. Most prefer full sun. When planted beneath a high-branching tree, early-flowering bulbs flower before the tree leafs out, so they are able to store energy using the filtered sunlight for blooming the following year.
Daffodils, ornamental onions, and winter aconite are recommended for areas where deer and rabbits routinely browse plants.
Bare spots lawn? Time to seed
Mid-August to mid-September is a good time to seed bare spots in your lawn. Choose a seed mix that is appropriate for the amount of sun at your site. Grass grown from a mix blended for shade looks different from grass from a mix blended for sun.
If your yard has adjoining areas of full sun, shade and partial shade, use a single mix of grass varieties for both sun and shade to give the lawn a more uniform appearance.
Prepare the site for seeding by removing weeds and loosening the soil. Low areas need additional topsoil. Rake out large clods, stones or debris to create a smooth seedbed. Then gently rake in the seed. Keep the soil moist.
On warm days, this may require watering two or three times a day. A light layer of compost spread over the soil helps keep seeds moist. Bluegrass takes about two weeks to germinate. It is important to keep the grass seed moist for successful germination. Scale back watering, focusing on deeper soakings rather than more frequent watering as the new grass fills in.
When establishing a lawn by seed, you can expect weeds to come in before the grass can get fully established. Mow a newly seeded lawn four times before treating it with an herbicide for weeds. Pulling the weeds is also an option that can be done before mowing is necessary.
Thin perennial masses
Take a close look at your perennial borders and reduce the size of perennial masses that are more aggressive and can take over a bed if not maintained. Woody weeds like buckthorn, mulberry and boxelder can pop up in hedges and shrub masses. Hackberry seedlings regularly sprout in my mixed perennials and shrub beds at home. They are easier to pull out when the soil is moist.
• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.