Illustration by Denise Wantz

GARDEN MAINTENANCE
(Mid-Elevations)
• Prune spring-blooming shrubs—After flowering is finished, trim lightly as needed.

• Maintain roses—Feed with a complete fertilizer (one that supplies nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium). Deadhead spent blooms. Hose off periodically to remove aphids, dust and spider mites.

• Thin deciduous fruit—Remove excess to a 6-inch spacing between fruit.

• Shade vegetables—Cool-season vegetables such as lettuce and other greens bolt (go to seed) as temperatures rise. Extend their season by covering with shade cloth.

(High Elevations)
• Improve garden soil—Incorporate 4 to 6 inches of compost or aged manure into the soil before planting.

• Mulch—Remove most of the thick layers of winter mulch around plants, allowing several inches to remain for protection against spring’s drying winds and summer’s heat.

• Divide perennials—Separate summer and fall bloomers. (Wait to divide spring flowering perennials until late summer.)

(Mid- and High Elevations)
• Check irrigation equipment—Make sure emitters and sprinklers function, and repair leaks if necessary.

• Adjust irrigation timer—Water more often, depending on plant type, weather, soil moisture and rainfall in your area. New plants (in the ground two years or less) need water more frequently than established plants. Always water deeply. Short, frequent irrigations cause salt buildup in the root zone; deep watering leaches salts past the root zone.

• Weed—Remove spring weeds immediately so they do not compete with cultivated plants for water, nutrients and light.

WHAT TO PLANT
(Mid-Elevations)
• Perennials—Angelita daisy, black-eyed Susan, chocolate flower, coneflower, coreopsis, flax, four o’clock, gaillardia, gaura, hollyhock, licorice mint (Agastache), monkey flower and yarrow.

• Vegetables—Warm-season cucumber, beans, corn, eggplant, melon, squash and tomato.
 
• Herbs—When soil temperature stays above 60 degrees, sow or transplant basil, lavender, marjoram, mint, oregano, sage and savory.

• Cacti and other succulents—The following are cold-hardy to about 0 degrees: Agave parryi, giant hesperaloe, mountain yucca (Y. schottii), Santa Rita Tubac™ prickly pear and Texas sotol.

(High Elevations)
• Perennials for hummingbirds—Bleeding heart, cardinal flower, columbine, coral bells, delphinium, foxglove, gayfeather (Liatris spicata), Maximilian sunflower, monarda, penstemon, Phlox paniculata, red-hot poker and salvia.

• Vegetables—After soil warms, sow beans, beets, carrots, corn, green onion, kale, leaf lettuce and other greens, parsnip, radish, rutabaga, squash and turnip. Transplant cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, peppers, potato and tomato.
 
• Summer bulbs—Caladium, elephant’s ear, canna, dahlia, daylily, gladiolus, monbretia (Crocosmia), rain lily and society garlic (Tulbaghia).

(Mid- and High Elevations)
• Landscape plants—Trees, ground covers, shrubs and vines. May’s desiccating winds and potential late freezes make it essential to establish new plants with regular deep watering (perhaps as often as daily) and to monitor them. Some gardeners prefer to plant during the monsoon season (July and August), when rain and humidity increase and winds abate.