Give some tonus back to your flowering plants

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During the summer, a few good cares allow your plants to keep their beauty, and this right through to the first frosts!

Water but not only in dry weather
When a heatwave starts, we think about watering our plants. It is when the weather cools down that we neglect watering… and this is when the plants suffer the most! Plants which keep their foliage all year round, called evergreen plants, can suffer without it being highly noticeable. In most cases, the potting compost must dry on its surface but stay moist in its depth (but not waterlogged). As for Mediterranean plants like lavender and veranda’s plants like Pelargoniums, they like their soil to dry deeper, but not totally either.

Clean the withered flowers
Regularly remove the stems which have borne flowers. This regular cleaning encourages the plant to flower again like no other method does. Indeed, as long as the plant has not been able to go to seeds, it has not fully accomplished its cycle and it will produce flowers again. If you forget them on the plant, it is not going to bloom again or a lot less.

Cut back now and again
When a stem has produced a lot of flowers and they have all withered, it is preferable to cut the stem rather than let it in situ. This will encourage the plant to form other stems which will blossom in their turn and this will be more pleasing to the eyes. This is a good technic to use before going away for several days! As for quick growing plants like perennial geraniums or perennial sage, do not hesitate to cut the stems right back to encourage a regrowth, up to the month of September in warmer climates.

Fertilizer, yes but the right way
Fertilizer in a liquid form given when watering is the most efficient for repeat-flowering plants. Beware though: Do not use in excess as some plants might be burnt with too much fertilizer. All the plants which have thin or slender leaves are particularly sensitive to it.

Remember to weed
If grown plants appreciate the care you give them, weeds benefit even more from it and weeding is therefore essential. Any concurrence near the flowering plant will be detrimental to its blossoming and some weeds develop in an aggressive manner, whether in the ground or in pot. Moreover, they are difficult to remove as their roots get mixed with the plant's roots and we disturb them when we pull out the weeds. Do not let the weeds settle in and remove them as soon as you see them.
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