Garden Center at  #4624

Shop Our 4th of July Sale
Welcome the Fourth with the yard of your dreams. Our huge 4th of July Sale can help you get it done. A gorgeous lawn that's growing full and lush, bright flowers punctuating your gardens, and freshly trimmed bushes can make your great outdoors feel like home. It's time to enjoy the festivities with your friends and family. With a yard like this, it's easy to create holiday memories to look back on — whether it's a day-long feast of food cooked up just right on a new grill or a luxurious day of lounging on patio furniture.



As the calendar turns to summer, your landscaping and garden will weather more heat and sun than earlier in the year. That means you'll need to consider how to keep things cool with shade, proper tending, and irrigation. Just like we can get sunburned, grass can get scorched, trees can lose their leaves prematurely, and plants can dry out. Let us help. At the Garden Center in Mechanicsville, we've got what you need to make it through the hotter months.

Lawn Repair and Patching
Scorched, or burnt, grass has a distinctively shaped discoloration that looks yellow. It happens when metal or plastic sits on the grass and bakes in the sunlight or a reflective surface shines continuously on your lawn. You'll often discover it once you disturb something sitting out in the yard, like a garden hose or sprinkler. Car windows or mirrors can also scorch grass when the sun angle is just right.

Water burnt grass well and wait a week. You should see the signs of life returning by then. If it's damaged beyond repair by pet behavior or extreme wear, you'll need to replace the grass or use patch and repair seed to fix it up.

Whether you're doing upkeep on your current lawn or patching the bare spots, keep in mind which type of grass it is. Match the grass type to how much sun your lawn gets — or to the existing grass type if you're doing patch repair. For example, if your lawn is shaded by trees and gets dappled sun or partial shade, make sure you plant grass that's not meant for full sun.

Care for Your Shrubs and Trees
When you're making sure your garden is watered, don't forget about the bushes, trees, and shrubs. They may need less watering than vegetable plants, but they can still get parched and dry in the summer heat. It's not hard to learn how to water bushes and trees — just be sure to aim the water at the roots. It'll help prolong the greenery and keep it from turning yellow or brown.

Also, check for damaged areas on the trees and shrubs. Pests can wreak havoc on your greenery if you don't catch them in time. Look for spots on bark or leaves, leaves full of holes, or strange raised scars on the bark. When your leaves look like lace, insects or caterpillars are eating them. Spots may indicate many issues ranging from bugs to fungus. Those scar-like lines on tree bark could mean your tree is infected with borers, an insect that lays eggs inside the bark and then burrows out after it hatches. Any of these issues should be researched and cared for as soon as possible, as a severe case may kill part or all of your shrub.

Vertical Edible Gardening
For summer gardening, grow vegetables vertically to conserve space. Many vegetable plants are vines and well-suited to climb a trellis or fence, so plant them next to one and watch them climb. Support the stem itself, as well as the junctions right below where the branches grow off the stem. This is so the weight of the plant doesn't snap the branches or stem.

Fasten your plant to a tomato cage or pole with string, plant ties and wires, garden wire, or fabric strips. Be sure to tie each plant loosely. Then the stem has room to grow wider and the branches and leaves can sway in the breeze. Strawberries, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes need support as they bear fruit. Squash and melons require hammocks made of stretchy fabric, string, old nylons, or a sling to support the weighty produce. These plants take up less space on the ground when grown vertically, which allows you to have walking room in between plants or fit more of them.

Trees as Natural Shade
Trees are a natural source of shade, and they can change the look of your yard. Whether you plant a few trees as accents, a few more to bear fruit, or a whole mini-forest, keep in mind this is a long-term commitment. When they're healthy, trees live many decades — and some for hundreds of years. Before you shop, plan so you know how to plant a tree, whether they're deciduous trees, evergreen saplings, or more mature trees.

A house framed by beautiful trees can seem picture-perfect, but research the specific trees you want before planting them. Think about the full-grown size of the trees you want, how far the root ball extends outward and how deep the taproots go. Trees will always find the most accessible source of water, so be sure to plant them away from your water pipes to avoid roots growing into them. As majestic as trees are, it's important to also consider how and where they'd fall if a major storm or disease weakened them. If you've planned accordingly, found trees you love, and know the perfect places to put them, get planting. That way, you can enjoy the leaves rustling in the breeze and dappled shade sooner rather than later.

Find Your Summertime Garden Supplies Today
No matter if your perfect summer includes gardening, grilling, relaxing, or finishing your outdoor DIY projects, we've got you covered. Make the most of these lengthy evenings and early mornings to enjoy all the season has to offer. Shop online at your leisure, on our mobile app anywhere you like, or in the aisles of your Mechanicsville store.