- Cut back artemisias before they flower. The flowers are not particularly noteworthy and the plants can become leggy and flop when they do. Cut back 1/2 to 2/3 of top growth. Cuttings can be rooted with rooting hormone and placed in damp perlite or coarse sand. Place in a spot with indirect sunlight for first month or two until the roots begin to form.
- Root cuttings of geraniums (Pelargonium) to bring indoors for the winter. This is particularly useful when the plants have gotten too large for the space you have indoors. Cuttings should be about 6 inches long stripping off all but the top 4 leaves. Treat cuttings as artemisias above.
- Divide Oriental poppy. Oriental poppies do not take well to division at other times of the year. After they finish blooming they are quasi-dormant. You can also take root cuttings to propagate new plants as well.
- Divide Iris. This is a good time particularly for bulbous Iris as they are now dormant. Fibrous rooted as well as rhizomatous Iris can also be divided now. Wait until fall or spring to divide Siberian Iris.
- Fertilize roses. Roses are heavy feeders and usually require both a spring and summer feeding. Now is a good time as later feedings may encourage soft growth late in the season that can be damaged by a cold snap. A top choice of many rose growers is alfalfa meal. It is usually available where organic fertilizers are sold. If you need large economical quantities buy alfalfa pellets from a animal feed store (without vitamins). Scratch the meal or pellets into the top 2 inches of soil around the root zone of the roses. I also like to use bothorganic fish fertilizer as well as kelp fertilizer since they compliment each other quite well providing balanced plant nutrition.
- Order bulbs for fall planting now! You can often get early bird specials when ordering bulbs through the mail. You can often find a wider selection of varieties through mail order than you can locally. Bulbs are delivered at the optimal time for planting in the fall.
- Continue deadheading spent flowers unless you plan on saving seeds.
