• Root holly, azalea, and camellia cuttings in a sand and peat moss mixture set in a cool, shady location.  Ivy and periwinkle can be rooted now to fill in any bare spots in your beds.  Be sure not to allow your cuttings to dry out.

• During hot, July weather, be sure to mow your lawn to the appropriate height.  This reduces water loss and helps lower soil temperatures.  Leave clippings on the lawn to decompose.

• Summer is not the time to prune tree limbs.  If there is a broken branch, however, remove the limb, including the jagged break or split, with a clean cut.

• Look for damaging insects on evergreen trees like magnolias and hollies.  Scale, spider mites, lacebug, leaf miner, spittlebug, and leaf hoppers are bad in July.

• Before spraying an insecticide on your vegetables, check the product label.  Each insecticide has a time you must wait before you can safely harvest.

• If azaleas look chlorotic (pale-green to yellow) check soil pH. They need acid soil because alkalinity locks up iron needed for green color. Sulfur reduces soil pH.

• During hot, July weather, be sure to mow your lawn to the appropriate height.  This reduces water loss and helps lower soil temperatures.

• A brown or grayish cast over lawns can be caused by dull or improperly adjusted mower blades that shred grass rather than cut it.

• If you have been pinching back your mums this summer, mid-July is the time to stop so they will be able to develop flower buds for the fall.

• Get a second bloom from faded annuals by cutting them back to approximately half their height, then fertilize them with ½ cup of 5-10-10 fertilizer per square yard of planted area and apply a generous layer of mulch.

• Tall flowers should be staked to prevent damage by wind.  Use stakes that are large enough to support the plant, but not too conspicuous.