Before you start planting, you’ll need to whip your yard into shape with these tips:
– Clean up the yard. “Do a quick clean-up,” advises Brian Sullivan, horticultural supervisor for Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. “All those leaves, last year’s mulch, get rid of all that.”
– Use a well-balanced, all-purpose fertilizer and spread it by hand, or try a water-soluble fertilizer and apply it with a fertilizer injector that fits onto a garden hose nozzle.
– Inspect sprinkler systems and flush out drip irrigation tubing.
– Conduct an inventory of your summer watering needs.
– Control pests and disease. Check plants for aphids. Remove the critters with a blast of water from the garden hose early in the morning to avoid causing mildew. For severe infestations, use an insecticide soap.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
