Water your shrubs

How much water should you apply? Each week a shrub needs one gallon per foot of height. Visit Shrub Watering

Trim your trees

Low limbs in the way when you mow? You can safely remove one fourth of the foliage of any healthy tree during the growing season.

Plant foxglove

Collect the seeds from foxglove stalks. Scratch the soil around the plant, scatter the seed and cover with a bit of earth. Water occasionally and the seedlings that sprout this year will bloom next year.

Transplant roses

Look for small new seedlings under your Lenten rose. They can be transplanted now to other spots.

Tame those slugs

Lure slugs and snails under a hollowed out half-cantaloup near your hosta. Check at noon every few days and scrape them into a bucket of soapy water.

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Irrigate with a soaker

Use soaker hoses and a water timer to irrigate annuals, perennials and shrubs. The hose conserves water and the timer makes it easy. Most hoses apply 1 gallon per foot per hour.

Diagnose lawn problems

Check your lawn for circular, dead, brown spots. Could be “Brown Patch” but correct your fertilization and watering practices before you reach for a fungicide. Visit Lawn Care Calendars

Remove tree supports

Remove stakes and guy wires from trees that have been planted for several months. They can stand on their own now.

Irrigate with a soaker

Mulch your vegetable garden. Try using three sheets of newspaper to cover the ground around each plant, then cover the paper with straw or leaves. Otherwise, pine straw or wheat straw by itself works fine.

Plant annuals

Plant annuals in small beds that make a visual impact but are still easy to water. Try color bowls or large container plantings near the entry to your home.

Fertilize outdoor houseplants

Fertilize outdoor houseplants regularly. Constant watering in the summer washes nutrients from the soil.

Raise your mower height

Raise the height of your mower by one notch. It will help your lawn grass withstand dry weather. Remove the faded flowers from geraniums and marigolds to help them make more blooms.

Pick okra and squash

Pick okra and squash regularly. Just one fully ripe fruit halts blooming on the entire plant.

Sharpen your mower blade

Keep your lawnmower blade sharp. A ragged cut makes grass use more water.

Watch out for caterpillars

Big green caterpillars on parsley and fennel are the precursors to beautiful swallowtail butterflies. Try not to kill them if you can help it.

Water your trees

Tree roots are almost bone dry! Give them 15 gallons per inch of trunk thickness once each week if regulations allow. Visit www.georgiadrought.com

Prune your hydrangeas

Prune back your hydrangeas when most of the blooms have faded. You’ll quickly get lots of new branches, which may give more flowers this fall.

Water your lawn

If restrictions allow, water your lawn only once per week but make it a deep, thorough soaking: one inch of precipitation.