When you purchased them in Spring, they looked so pretty & perky! Now, in the heat of Summer, they are looking dry & droopy.

Not all Spring annuals begin looking a little sad in the dog days of Summer, but some definitely do. Here are a few simple tips to try if yours are starting to look a little worse for wear.

1. Water!

So so obvious, we know. But it can be easy to forget to water your annuals when it get so hot outside. The absolute best times to water are early morning before work or later in the evening after dinner. It may be necessary to water annuals every day or every other in these hot late Summer days. Try not to water in the middle of the day because a lot of your water will be evaporated & ineffective.

2. Prune

Many annuals need to be really cut back when they begin looking droopy in late Summer. Annuals like Petunias benefit from a good prune. Cut them back several inches if needed. Remove any spent blooms & any dead leaves/ brown leaves. Even if you cut off all your blooms when pruning, in most cases they will come back.

3. Fertilize

You may still fertilize your annuals this season. Be sure you've cut out any dead parts & pruned what you need to before fertilizing. By doing so, your plant will use energy to make new growth & blooms. When looking at a fertilizer, you may use one that has equal parts (such as a 10-10-10) or one that has a higher 1st number, which will increase blooms. Be sure to deeply water after you fertilize so it sinks in.

4. Dream of Fall Annuals

In just a few weeks, we will begin bringing over Fall annuals from our growing greenhouses. You can start fresh then, & a shopping trip to the local Nursery to pick out new flowers never sounds like a bad idea, right?

If worse comes to worse, you can always plant fresh annuals. And a shopping trip to buy flowers never sounds like a bad idea, right?