• Shop All
  • Monarch Munchables
    Spring Bee Buffet
    Hummingbird Heroes
    • Collections
      • Best Sellers
      • Bulk Orders
      • Starter Kits
      • Mix-and-Match
      • Wildflowers
      • Native Shrubs
      • Native Grasses
      • Native Trees
    • Habitat Conditions
      • Full Sun
      • Partial Shade
      • Full Shade
      • Clay Soil
      • Dry Soil
      • Moist Soil
      • Well-Draining Soil
    • Wildlife Attraction
      • Monarchs
      • Butterflies
      • Bees
      • Hummingbirds
      • Songbirds
      • Fireflies
      • Keystone Species
    • Gifts
      • Merch Shop
      • Gift Cards
    Shop for Native Plants
  • Plant Finder Quiz
  • Collections
    • Save Wildlife
      • Milkweed for Monarchs
      • Bee-Friendly Native Plants
      • Native Plants for Hummingbirds
      • Native Plants for Songbirds
      • Native Plants for Fireflies
    • Popular Collections
      • Flowering Perennials
      • Single Species Sets
      • Native Shrubs
      • Native Grasses
      • Native Groundcover
    Shop Best Seller
  • Regions
    • Northeast
      • Connecticut
      • Maine
      • Massachusetts
      • New Hampshire
      • New Jersey
      • New York
      • Pennsylvania
      • Rhode Island
      • Vermont
    • Southeast
      • Alabama
      • Arkansas
      • Delaware
      • District of Columbia
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Kentucky
      • Louisiana
      • Maryland
      • Mississippi
      • North Carolina
      • South Carolina
      • Tennessee
      • Virginia
      • West Virginia
    • Midwest
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Missouri
      • Nebraska
      • North Dakota
      • Ohio
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
    • West
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Idaho
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • Oregon
      • Utah
      • Washington
      • Wyoming
    • Southwest
      • Arizona
      • New Mexico
      • Oklahoma
      • Texas
    View Map
  • Habitats
  • Hummingbird Plants
    Milkweed for Monarchs
    Plants for Bees
    • Light Conditions
      • Full Sun
      • Partial Shade
      • Full Shade
    • Soil Conditions
      • Clay Soil
      • Dry Soil
      • Moist Soil
      • Well-Draining Soil
  • Wildlife
    • Favorites
      • Monarchs
      • Keystone Species
    • Birds
      • Hummingbirds
      • Songbirds
    • Insects
      • Butterflies
      • Bees
      • Fireflies
  • Our Mission
  • Learning Center
    Certified Wildlife Habitat®
    • Wildlife Conservation
      • Why Plant Native?
      • Certified Habitats
    • About
      • Planting with Purpose
      • Grower Network
    Explore Resources
  • On Sale
  • New
  • Help
  • My Account
  • Perks
  • WishList
  • Certify Your Habitat
    • Shop Plants
    • Explore Resources
    • Certify Your Habitat
    • Help
    • Our Mission
    • 0
    • Shop All
        Collections
      • Best Sellers
      • Bulk Orders
      • Starter Kits
      • Mix-and-Match
      • Wildflowers
      • Native Shrubs
      • Native Grasses
      • Native Trees
        Habitat Conditions
      • Full Sun
      • Partial Shade
      • Full Shade
      • Clay Soil
      • Dry Soil
      • Moist Soil
      • Well-Draining Soil
        Wildlife Attraction
      • Monarchs
      • Butterflies
      • Bees
      • Hummingbirds
      • Songbirds
      • Fireflies
      • Keystone Species
        Gifts
      • Merch Shop
      • Gift Cards
      Shop All Native Plants
      Monarch Munchables
      Spring Bee Buffet
      Hummingbird Heroes
    • Plant Finder Quiz
    • Collections
        Save Wildlife
      • Milkweed for Monarchs
      • Bee-Friendly Native Plants
      • Native Plants for Hummingbirds
      • Native Plants for Songbirds
      • Native Plants for Fireflies
        Popular Collections
      • Flowering Perennials
      • Single Species Sets
      • Native Shrubs
      • Native Grasses
      • Native Groundcover
      Shop Best Sellers

      Monarch Munchables

      From $98.00

      Firefly Delight

      From $98.00

      Shady Sanctuaries

      From $98.00
    • Regions
        Northeast
      • Connecticut
      • Maine
      • Massachusetts
      • New Hampshire
      • New Jersey
      • New York
      • Pennsylvania
      • Rhode Island
      • Vermont
        Southeast
      • Alabama
      • Arkansas
      • Delaware
      • District of Columbia
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Kentucky
      • Louisiana
      • Maryland
      • Mississippi
      • North Carolina
      • South Carolina
      • Tennessee
      • Virginia
      • West Virginia
        Midwest
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Missouri
      • Nebraska
      • North Dakota
      • Ohio
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
        West
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Idaho
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • Oregon
      • Utah
      • Washington
      • Wyoming
        Southwest
      • Arizona
      • New Mexico
      • Oklahoma
      • Texas
      View Map
    • Habitats
        Light Conditions
      • Full Sun
      • Partial Shade
      • Full Shade
        Soil Conditions
      • Clay Soil
      • Dry Soil
      • Moist Soil
      • Well-Draining Soil

      Oxeye Sunflower Plant Sets

      From $38.00

      Anise Hyssop Plant Sets

      From $38.00
    • Wildlife
        Favorites
      • Monarchs
      • Keystone Species
        Birds
      • Hummingbirds
      • Songbirds
        Insects
      • Butterflies
      • Bees
      • Fireflies

      Orange Butterfly Milkweed Plant Sets (I)

      From $38.00

      American Beautyberry Shrub

      From $69.00

      Lanceleaf Coreopsis Plant Sets (II)

      From $38.00
    • Our Mission
        Wildlife Conservation
      • Why Plant Native?
      • Certified Habitats
        About
      • Planting with Purpose
      • Grower Network
      Explore Resources
      Why Plant Native?
      Certified Wildlife Habitat®
      Meet Our Partners
    • On Sale
    • New

    Give the gift that keeps giving. Shop Mother's Day deals.

    |

    Nationwide Shipping. Free Over $99+

    Home | Learning Center | Summer Garden Task Checklist

    Summer Garden Task Checklist

    Published on
    July 21 2022
    Updated on
    March 12 2025
    Kelly LaVaute, Digital Storyteller

    Tagged: how to Native Plants planting tips

    Summer Garden Task Checklist - Garden for Wildlife

    Your first task? Enjoy your garden! Take the time to notice new growth, or first-time wildlife visitors. Listen to the birds. Watch the bees and delight in the fireflies you are supporting. All the hard work put into maintaining a garden is paying off! Take lots of pictures, and don’t forget to tag us: #GardenForWildlife.


    #1 BE WATER WISE 

    Be smart with watering. If you compost or add mulch to your garden, it will retain moisture better. Water early or late in the day to prevent evaporation. Conventional lawns and many ornamental exotic plants require an exorbitant amount of clean water to stay green. Choosing native plants that are adapted to regional rainfall and soil moisture content is a great way to conserve this precious resource. Reducing your lawn in favor of densely planted garden beds helps minimize runoff, and you can plant a rain garden specifically designed to collect and absorb rainwater to keep it from pouring into storm drains.

     

    #2 SUMMER PLANTING

    Spring has past, but summer is still a great time to plant! Many of the plants in our native plant collections are late summer and fall-bloomers, including asters, goldenrod, mistflower, frostweed, and others. Even earlier summer bloomers like milkweed, cardinal flower, and black eyed susans will continue to bloom through fall. Planting spring-blooming natives now gives you a head start on your garden for next year—your work will be done and you can just enjoy seeing the spring blossoms! Be sure to water anything planted in summer every day (ideally in the morning) as they get established. Once established, native plants will require less water and care. Note: If heat is extreme, you can also keep your new plants in containers in a partly-shaded area until temps cool some.

     

    #3 ORGANIC PEST & WEED CONTROL 

    Weeds flourish in July’s heat. If you select and maintain pest-resistant plants adapted to your area – native plants generally have few pest problems and can naturally crowd out weeds. More votes for compost here too, as an annual layer of compost or mulch can deter weeds. If you’re planting to attract birds, they’ll also help with pest control. Birds eat bugs, including the ones you don’t want eating your plants, so encourage them to make a home in your garden. Find more ways to become an organic gardener. 


    Talk with your neighbors about reducing pesticides as a community. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. If your community has a neighborhood association, attend meetings and speak up. If possible, engage your city and county governments to encourage alternatives to spraying—such as introducing natural predators and parasites—as part of their mosquito-control programs. From nanotechnology to genetic solutions, scientists have made incredible strides in effective, environmentally-friendly mosquito population control methods.


    #4 MORE SUPPORT

    By now, your plants have grown much taller and might be starting to lean. Not to worry, we all need a little support from our friends. If they are leaning to the point where stems may break, or smothering nearby plants, it’s time to stake them up. A wide variety of support cages, poles, rings, and the like are available at local garden centers.


    #5 TRIMMING & DEADHEADING

    Deadheading faded flowers and cutting back stems prevents plants from reproducing and can eliminate habitat for overwintering bees, caterpillars and other wildlife. To maintain tidiness and encourage new growth, here are some tips for sprucing up some of the plants in our collections:

    Mid-Summer, July
    Asters: if you would like more compact asters this fall, July is a good time to trim them (prior to any blooms) to about 18 inches high. This will encourage the plant to branch out and will also encourage more blooms.
     
    Late Summer
    - Wild Bergamot, Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa): deadhead spent flowers just above new buds for continued bloom. Leave final late summer bloom seed heads for birds.
    - Red Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica): Cut just above leaves to get new blooms. However, leaving spikes will help with reseeding for more bloom next year.
    - Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): cut by half at end of spring, or shear by half early summer, or shear by a third in midsummer – this will give longer bloom times.
    - Black Eyed Susans (Rudebeckias): cut back after bloom in summer; deadhead continually; cut low for winter after birds have had their seeds. 
     
    Early Spring Bloomers
    Plants like those in our Spring Bee Buffet, including Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) and Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) can be trimmed down to leafy clump after flowering. Remove or spread seedlings when small. 
     
    Early Summer Bloomers
    - Coreopsis: deadhead continually. Cut foliage low when blooms die off. Spread or leave seed heads for birds. 
    - Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis): seed pods can be scattered in areas you would like to see more plants. Cut to ground after flowering.
     

    Powerhouse Plants: Meet the Keystones

    Keystone plants are natives that support 90% of butterflies and moths, and up to 60% of native bees in a specific ecoregion.

    Planting keystone species maximizes your positive impact on the local ecosystem and helps wildlife populations thrive.

    Shop Now

    Find Native Plants by Zip Code

    We took the guesswork out of planting native. Check your zip to see what ships!

    Shop Now
    Published on
    July 21 2022
    Updated on
    March 12 2025
    Kelly LaVaute, Digital Storyteller

    Tagged: how to Native Plants planting tips

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Signup for our newsletter to stay up to date on sales and events.

    Related Reading:

    July 21 2022 Rekindling the Glow: Are Fireflies Declining?

    July 21 2022 Deer-Resistant Gardening with Native Plants

    July 21 2022 Deer Resistant Native Plants: A Guide to Keeping Your Garden Safe and Beautiful

    Find out what's blooming.

    Sign up for updates on new releases, sales, plant care tips, and more.

    Support

    • FAQs
    • Shipping Info
    • Return Policy
    • Contact Us

    Learn

    • Why Plant Natives
    • Plant Finder Quiz
    • Learning Center
    • Certified Wildlife Habitat®

    About us

    • Who We Are
    • Our Roots
    • Impact
    • Partners

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Tiktok

    © 2024 Garden For Wildlife. All rights reserved.

    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Site Map

    0

    Your Cart

    You are $99.00 away from Free Domestic Shipping!

    365-Day Plant Guarantee

    Free Planting Guide

    Buy One, Plant One

    Continue Shopping

    Pre-Order: Shipping resumes in Spring 2025 based on location and weather.

    Join us and get nice things

    Free stuff and general goodness

    *By completing this form you're signing up to receive our emails and can unsubscribe at any time.