After a surprisingly cool and rainy spring in our Zone 6a upstate New York garden, summer has arrived with its own set of maintenance challenges. Today we're tackling three essential summer gardening tasks that keep our garden looking fresh and performing at its best: cutting back spent perennials, deadheading roses, and maintaining crisp garden edges.

Task One: Strategic Perennial Cutbacks

The transition from spring to summer often requires decisive action with perennials that have finished their first flush of blooms. Our Pink Profusion salvia exemplifies this perfectly—it was an incredible early performer, coming out ahead of all other pink flowers in the garden, but now it's showing significant deadwood among lingering color.

The Philosophy: Fresh Start vs. Selective Pruning

When dealing with spent perennials, you have two main approaches:

• Selective deadheading - Cut back to existing leaf canopy
• Complete renewal - Cut to ground level for fresh growth

For our Pink Profusion salvia drift of 10 plants, we chose complete renewal. Cutting back to just an inch from the ground allows the plants to flush fresh from the base, creating a fuller, more compact form while eliminating all the scraggly spent material.

Timing Considerations for Future Planning

One crucial tip: document your cutback dates. We've learned that Walker's Low catmint takes exactly five weeks from cutback to full flush of new flowers. Recording these timelines allows you to plan garden peaks around events or simply ensure continuous color throughout the season.

The aesthetic benefits alone justify this approach—while plants might reflush naturally if left alone, the visual impact of old spent blooms mixed with new growth is far less appealing than fresh, uniform regrowth.

Task Two: The Art and Science of Rose Deadheading

Rose deadheading reveals interesting differences in gardening philosophy, even between partners working in the same garden. Our approach varies depending on the rose variety and our immediate goals.

Different Roses, Different Strategies

Flavor at Honey Apricot - Located in our edibles area where we can enjoy both fragrance and taste, this rose receives gentle maintenance focused on removing shattered blooms before they create ground debris.

Ancient Mariner - One of our most beautiful roses with complex, ruffly blooms and incredible fragrance. The multiple bloom stages on a single plant create decision points: new opening flowers, peak blooms, and spent flowers ready for removal.

Crown Princess Margaretta - This vigorous climber gets detail-oriented deadheading, focusing on spent individual blooms rather than major shaping, since its natural vigor means it will grow enthusiastically regardless of pruning approach.

The Timing Debate: Preemptive vs. Reactive

Our approach reveals two valid philosophies:

Preemptive Deadheading - Removing blooms just before they shatter prevents petal debris while encouraging the next flush of buds in that spray to develop.

Reactive Deadheading - Waiting until petals actually drop and create mess, allowing maximum enjoyment of each bloom's full lifespan.

Both approaches work; the choice often depends on available time, garden location, and personal preference. Roses near seating areas might benefit from preemptive care, while those in naturalistic settings can be left to complete their full cycle.

Technique: The Five-Leaf Rule

When removing spent blooms, we cut back to the first set of five leaves below the flower. This encourages strong regrowth and maintains good plant structure while ensuring the next flush of growth emerges from a robust point on the stem.

Task Three: Shade Garden Renewal

Our shade garden under the Blood Good Japanese maple required more nuanced decision-making. The Brunera had finished flowering but developed beautiful large foliage, while New Hampshire Purple geraniums were sprawling attractively onto pathways.

Brunera: Selective vs. Complete Renewal

Initially considering selective removal of just spent flower stalks to preserve emerging large leaves, we ultimately chose complete cutback for several reasons:

• Efficiency - Complete renewal saves time in a large garden
• Air circulation - Removes old, potentially mold-prone foliage in our wet conditions
• Fresh growth - New foliage will be more vigorous and attractive

Bonus Maintenance: Japanese Maple Pruning

Summer provides the perfect timing for Japanese maple pruning, as spring sap flow has ended. Our focus was on:

• Inward-growing branches that create congestion
• Competing branches where two stems fight for the same space
• Interior access for both aesthetic appeal and hosta health below

The result was a tiered, almost pagoda-like effect that improved both tree structure and garden accessibility while creating better growing conditions for understory plants.

Task Four: Edge Maintenance for Crisp Definition

Garden edges require regular attention, especially in new plantings where establishment and weather can affect the clean lines that define garden spaces.

Identifying Problem Areas

Our newer west border edge had developed some inconsistencies—perfect in some sections but collapsed or irregular in others. Rather than accepting these imperfections, we addressed them proactively.

Tools and Technique

Using a Root Slayer edger with foot platform and serrated blade, we:

1. Located irrigation lines before cutting to avoid expensive damage
2. Created clean, straight cuts through both grass and established edge
3. Removed excess material efficiently with a two-person system
4. Finished with power edging for professional appearance

Infrastructure Awareness

Before any edging work, we always locate irrigation lines. Our main supply line runs beneath the lawn edge, and while it's buried deeply, previous edging has left marks on the tubing. Replacing buried irrigation would be far more expensive than taking a few extra minutes to locate lines safely.

Seasonal Timing and Weather Considerations

These maintenance tasks became urgent due to our unique spring weather—extended cool, wet conditions followed by sudden heat and humidity. This weather pattern created several challenges:

• Increased slug and snail pressure from wet conditions
• Rapid weed growth including substantial pokeweed infiltration
• Mold issues in shade areas with poor air circulation
• Accelerated plant growth requiring more frequent intervention

Summer Care Philosophy

Our approach to summer maintenance prioritizes:

• Efficiency over perfection - We work full-time and need sustainable strategies
• Plant health over prolonged bloom - Better to cut back for vigorous regrowth
• Infrastructure protection - Always consider irrigation and utilities
• Continuous improvement - Address small issues before they become major problems

The Rewards of Proactive Care

While these tasks require time and energy during hot summer weather, they pay dividends in:

• Extended bloom periods from refreshed perennials
• Cleaner garden appearance throughout peak season
• Healthier plant growth from improved air circulation
• Professional garden definition from maintained edges

The key is developing systems and timing that work with your schedule and garden's needs, creating sustainable maintenance routines that enhance rather than overwhelm your gardening enjoyment.

Thanks for growing with us.