Hoffman's Gardening Services

10/16/2024

Wash off frost before sun shines on it. You will reduce or eliminate any damage.

09/02/2024

Time to stop feeding your outdoor plants and begin tidying up the garden so it's not one big chore. Install a few mums to keep the color going.

07/05/2023

If you haven't followed my Hoffman's Gardening Services yet, please do so. Only fifteen more followers and I can begin to monitor activity. Thanks.

10/03/2022

Keep watering those annuals. They still have some life in them. Frost tip: Frost on its own won't kill your plants, but sunlight shining through the frost will burn the foliage and flowers. Get out there before the sun hits the frost and wash it off with a spray from your garden hose. If you experience any damage it should be minimal.

10/23/2021

Leaving the page up for awhile but no longer taking on projects. Such fun but time to let it be a happy memory.

09/14/2021

The guys took a concrete slab patio and with a little aggregate and bluestone turned it into this unique garden entertainment spot. Heads up...September is a great time to divide your perennials. Expand your garden or share with friends. Incorporate soil amendments so they can wiggle their roots.

08/15/2021

Make the most of your outdoor spaces

Just a short retaining wall to allow for a brick patio under the deck. The season is coming to an end and now is the time to stop feeding your plants so they can harden off for the winter to come. Don't want to be encouraging new growth. We're just a few weeks away from optimum transplanting time so start thinking about dividing those perennials and either sharing or trading them with friends and family or increase your planting beds with new growth.

06/04/2021

JUNE - AUGUST CALENDAR

Oak Leaf Hydrangea brightens up shady spots.

Trees and Shrubs
• Continue pruning blooming shrubs as soon as they finish blooming.
• Deadhead spring-blooming shrubs, to focus the plant's energy toward strong growth and next year's blooms.
• Trim boxwood while the growth is still soft and easy to shape.
• Watch for black spot and powdery mildew on roses and other plants – apply fungicide (Ortho Funginex) and remove (and destroy – don't compost) any diseased foliage.
• Add extra mulch to shallow-rooted shrubs (like native plants, azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons), to help them hold moisture.
• Remove aphids with a blast of water from the hose. If that doesn’t work Safer Insecticidal Soap should do the trick.
• Reduce (or stop) fertilizing as the temperature heats up.
• Keep plantings and lawn well-watered.
• Lightly shear conifers (junipers, cypress, etc.) but don't cut back to bare wood.
• Keep adding to compost pile and turn weekly.
Raise your mower blade during summer.
Lawns
• Raise the blade on your lawn mower for summer. Cool-season grasses should be mowed at 3”-4”.
• Mow regularly, especially if you’re mulching the clippings. Rake clumps and add to compost.
• Control existing w**ds with a post-emergent herbicide (W**d B Gone or similar product), or by pulling or digging. Removing w**ds before they bloom and disperse seeds helps reduce next year’s crop.
• Reduce fertilizer on cool-season lawns, since they go partially dormant during the hottest part of the summer.
• Apply moss killer before temperatures are regularly above 65° F, especially in shady areas (Scott’s MossX moss control)
• Make sure your lawn gets one inch of water per week. If you irrigate, water deeply to encourage deeper roots.

05/06/2021

May Calendar

Keep your lawn watered, especially if you applied fertilizer.
Lawns
• Stop fertilizing cool-season grasses (such as fescue and bluegrass) in mid-May to prevent heat damage.
• Mowing season has begun! Set mower blades at 2”- 3” or higher for cool-season grasses. Mow often and don't cut more than half the blade at a time.
• Apply post-emergent w**d control products to broadleaf w**ds. Scott’s Halts or Ortho W**d B Gone are both excellent products.
Cleanup and Maintenance
• Make sure that lawns and gardens receive an inch of water per week. Hand water new transplants until they become established.
• Turn your compost pile regularly.
• Apply mulch under plants to keep the soil cool this summer.
• Be on the lookout for lace bugs and aphids this month. Spray with Safer Insecticidal Soap. Apply Bayer 3-in-One Systemic Insect and Disease control to boxwoods to prevent infestation of fly larvae that causes leaf curl. This makes the boxwood toxic to insects.
• Examine conifers for the egg sacs of bagworms and remove before the eggs hatch.
• Don't let w**ds and vines get out of control – remove (or prune) them while they're manageable. The best thing for w**d control is your shadow.
• Tent caterpillars will forage during the day and return to their tent nests in the early evening. Look for them in their tents around 4:30 and spray then. Spectracide’s Triazicide is a good product to use.