Mid-Summer Garden Refresh: Simple Ways to Keep Your Garden Colorful and Looking Its Best

After weeks of summer heat and frequent rain, gardens across Rockland County, Bergen County and the Hudson Valley are showing signs of stress and may not look as beautiful as they did in April and May. Simple maintenance steps can revive flower beds, containers and landscapes while adding fresh color for the rest of the summer.

The experts at Down to Earth Living Garden Center in Pomona offer the following tips:

• Cut or pinch off dead flowers to encourage more blooms.

• Feed flowering plants with a bloom booster fertilizer to promote continued flowering.

• Prune spring-flowering shrubs that have already bloomed.

• Refresh garden beds and containers with colorful Black-Eyed Susans, Zinnias, Hydrangeas and hanging baskets.

• Plant milkweed to support monarch butterflies, which rely on it as the only plant where they lay their eggs.

• Provide a water source for birds, butterflies and thirsty bees with a bird bath or shallow dish of fresh water.

• Check hanging baskets and containers as they may need watering more frequently during periods of hot weather or consider replacing those that are truly past their prime flowering season.

With summer sales in full swing, homeowners can also refresh their patio or backyard furniture with new sets at significantly reduced prices. The best deals are often mid to late summer for furniture, umbrellas, outdoor home decor, and statuary.

With a few simple updates, homeowners can keep their gardens and backyard entertainment areas colorful into late summer through fall and extend the enjoyment time.

Down to Earth Living Garden Center encourages customers to bring inspiration, such as online images, magazine clippings, or photos of their space, for personalized guidance. The team assists with selecting plants, shrubs, containers, and statuary to achieve the desired look. The expanded indoor plant showroom is open for the summer season, and free repotting is available with any plant or pot purchase to enhance the shopping experience.

Down to Earth Living, now in its 56th year, is a Garden Center serving Rockland, Bergen, and Orange counties and the Hudson Valley, offering 12.5 acres filled with perennials, flowers, shrubs, and trees, with new plants arriving weekly. The 10,000-square-foot showroom features a selection of contemporary, classic, traditional, and transitional teak, aluminum, and all-weather dining and deep-seated furniture. Located at 1040 Route 45 in Pomona, N.Y. For more information, call 845-354-8500 or visit www.dteliving.com.