Garden Center at Imperial Marketplace #1032

Shop Our 4th of July Sale
Bring on Independence Day with the yard of your dreams. Our big 4th of July Sale can help you get it done. A beautiful lawn that's growing green, bright blooms punctuating your gardens, and freshly shaped hedges can make your great outdoors feel like home. It's time to enjoy the festivities with your family and friends. 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 charcoal grill or a luxurious day of lounging on patio furniture.



As summer rolls in, your garden and landscaping will weather more intense heat and UV rays than earlier in the season. You'll need to consider how to keep things cool with shade, irrigation, and proper tending. Just like we can get sunburned, grass and annuals can get scorched, and trees can lose their leaves prematurely. We've got advice to help you, your garden, and your lawn make it through the hotter months with flying colors.

Grow a Healthy Lawn
If you're concerned that your lawn has brown 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'll be an overall shade of brown, but not green with brown patches. Gently tug out a blade of grass to check the roots: If it comes right out, the grass is probably dead and you'll need to replace it with grass seed or sod. If it doesn't pull right out, it's dormant. That means it's resting but still alive beneath the surface. Water dormant grass deeply once or twice every week, but avoid fertilizer.

Warm-season grass stays green in the summer. If you have this kind of lawn, water it deeply once a week. Give it another drink every day or two, depending on your weather. Be careful not to overwater, and let the lawn dry out after heavy rains before you get out the sprinkler or hose 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 the grass grow taller this time of the year, as cutting it too short isn't healthy for this kind of lawn.

Care for Your Shrubs and Trees
When you're making sure your garden is watered, don't forget about the shrubs, trees, and bushes. They may need less watering than 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 be sure to aim the water at the roots. It'll help grow strong leaves and flowers. If it's a fruiting tree, it'll also help give it enough moisture to put out blossoms and fruit and keep it from drying out.

Also, check for damaged areas on the bushes and trees. Pests can wreak havoc on your greenery if you don't catch them in time. Look for holes in leaves, a network of raised lines on the bark, or spots on leaves or bark. When your leaves look like lace, caterpillars or insects are eating them. Spots may indicate a number of issues ranging from fungus to bugs. 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 all or part of your shrub or tree.

Grow Your Own Herbs
For fresh flavors to accent your homegrown produce, try herb gardening. 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.

Planting herbs in the ground can be tricky, as many of them — especially mint — are invasive and will take over your yard. So keep them in small decorative pots on a sunny window sill, porch, 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 mix of rock chips, perlite, or sand.

Vines as Decorative Shade
Set up vines to climb an arched arbor or trellis to provide both beauty and shade. Go with viney plants that are native to your area to attract pollinators. 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 sun 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 in the shade.

Find Your Summertime Garden Supplies Today
No matter if your perfect summer includes grilling, gardening, relaxing, or starting 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 app anywhere you like, or in the aisles of your Imperial Marketplace store.