Plant    Start seeds for cabbage, parsley, kale, brussell sprouts, collards, and other cool season vegetables. Replant summer color if needed. Consider succession planting of zucchini or later-season tomatoes.

Lawn Care  For zoysia and Bermuda lawns, fertilize with a complete fertilizer and raise the height of your mower to reduce stress on your lawn and to conserve moisture in the ground. For best results, mow 2 inches for Bermuda grass, 1-2 inches for zoysia, and 2.5-3 inches for fescue.

Fertilize  Perennial flowers and reblooming hydrangeas.

Prune  Remove blooms from reblooming hydrangeas.  Prune hydrangeas to shape if necessary by July 4th. Pinch back mums, chrysanthemums, and other fall blooming flowers.  Continue to deadhead annuals and perennials. Cut back by one-third annuals that are getting leggy or out of control to keep them looking good into the fall. Give them a shot of a water-soluble fertilizer. Remove unsightly fern fronds. July is a good month to prune “bleeder” trees, such as maples, dogwood, elm, birch, and other trees that bleed when pruned in winter

Other   Continue to water on weeks with less than 1 inch of rain.  Continue to monitor for insect and fungal diseases and treat as needed.   Keep birdbaths clean and filled with water.

Layering easily propagates many plants. Hydrangeas, viburnums, weigela, trumpet honeysuckle, Carolina jessamine, and climbing roses are a few plants that will root if the stems are fastened down and covered with soil.

The best time to harvest most herbs is just before flowering. This time is when the leaves contain the maximum essential oils.

Attend   “The Great Tomato Contest” Saturday, July 18, 2026, at the Big Red Barn at Agricenter International.  Open to the public, cash prizes, anyone can enter, learn from tomato experts.  Go to memphisareamastergardeners.org for more information