Garden Center at Bitterlake #4706

The Home Depot 4th of July Sale
Greet the 4th of July with the yard of your dreams. Our huge 4th of July Sale can help you do it. Let your great outdoors help you enjoy the festivities with your friends and family. Get that patio furniture or grill you've had your eye on and invite your guests to relax after indulging in holiday meats and treats. Save now and use these long-term investments for years of cookouts to come.



As summer rolls in, your landscaping and garden will weather more sun and heat than earlier in the year. You'll need to consider how to keep things cool with irrigation and proper tending. Just like we can get sunburned, flowers can dry out and trees can lose their leaves prematurely. We've got advice to make it through the hotter months with flying colors.

Grow a Healthy Lawn
If you're concerned that your lawn has brown and crispy blades of grass, don't worry just yet. It's possible that you've got a cool season grass that goes dormant and turns brown in the summertime heat. If that's the case, it won't be a patchy brown, but brown everywhere. See if the roots are alive by tugging on a blade of grass: If it comes right out, the grass is likely dead and you'll need to replace it with grass seed or sod. If the blade of grass doesn't come right out, it's dormant. That means it's resting but still alive beneath the surface. Water dormant grass deeply once or twice each week, but avoid fertilizer.

For warm-season grass that stays green in the summer, water a bit every few days and deeply once a week. The amount of water should add up to about an inch per week. Be careful not to overwater, and let the lawn dry out after heavy rains before you get out the garden hose or sprinkler again. If it's especially hot out, water when the top two inches of soil is dry to the touch. It's ok to let it grow taller this time of the year, as cutting it too short isn't healthy for this kind of lawn.

Care for Your Trees and Shrubs
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 or delicate flowers, but they can still get parched and dry in the summer heat. It's not hard to learn how to water trees — just make sure you aim the water at the roots. It'll help prolong the greenery and keep it from drying out.

Also, check for damaged areas on the shrubs and trees. Pests can wreak havoc on your greenery if you don't catch them in time. Look for spots on leaves or bark, a network of raised lines on the bark, or leaves full of holes. When your leaves look like lace, caterpillars or insects 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.

Grow Your Own Herbs
For savory flavors to accent your homegrown produce, add herbs. They're generally low-maintenance. It's easy to learn how to grow herbs indoors, but you can raise herbs outdoors, too. If you grow herbs outdoors, stick to heat-loving herbs that'll endure the summer temperatures, and consider a hanging herb garden.

It can be tricky to plant herbs in the ground, as many of them — especially mint — are invasive and will take over your yard. So just keep them in small decorative pots on a sunny porch, window sill, or even in wall planters. Herbs also work well in a hydroponic garden, which means they don't grow in regular black dirt. Instead, they grow in a mixture of sand, rock chips, or perlite.

Vines as Decorative Shade
Plant vines to climb a trellis or arbor to provide both beauty and shade. Go with vine plants that are native to your area to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Wisteria, morning glories, and honeysuckle are common options for creating a shady and beautiful archway or pathway. Remember to match your vine plants to how much sunlight you receive, as not all of them thrive in full sun. As a bonus, many vines put out sweet-smelling flowers with a delightful fragrance you can enjoy.

Find Your Summertime Landscaping Supplies Today
No matter if your perfect summer includes relaxing, grilling, gardening, or finishing those outdoor DIY projects, we've got the supplies you need to keep your days flowing with ease. Make the most of these early mornings and lengthy evenings to enjoy all the season has to offer. Shop online at your leisure, on our Home Depot mobile app anywhere you like, or in the aisles of your Bitterlake store.