How to Care for Your Yard and What to Plant in July

Watering: We recommend watering early in the morning as this reduces the evaporation loss. Deep watering is the best way to ensure that the entire root zone becomes properly saturated. When it comes to watering trees, be sure to saturate the soil at least three feet deep and for shrubs, drench the soil at least one foot deep. You will want to deep water your trees 2-3 times a week for the next few weeks and continue to monitor them so they are not over or under-watered. 

Fertilizing: Moon Valley Nurseries has developed specialized blends of fertilizers that can give the material in your landscape a helping hand during the summer. Our fertilizers are designed to help trees, palms, and shrubs recover from any heat stress. Purchase our fertilizers at all Moon Valley Nurseries locations.

Protect the Trunk of Your Tree: Did you know that trees can get a sunburn, too? Young trees will benefit from sun protection as the temperatures rise. We recommend protecting a newly planted or younger tree from sunburn with a Protective Tree Wrap. Click here for a video on how to wrap your trees.

Mulching: If you want to help keep moisture in your soil all summer long, we recommend applying mulch around the base of your trees. Adding a three to four-inch layer of mulch is an excellent way to hold moisture and keep your soil cool in July. Visit a nursery and ask our nursery pros more about how to properly mulch your yard. 

Best Trees to Plant in July

Crape Myrtle Tree

Vibrant color in your landscape can make the heat a little more bearable. These small-to-medium trees bloom in the summertime, creating an abundance of different colors, depending on the variety. The blooming colors range from white to red, purple and pink. Homeowners with smaller yards will appreciate its ability to fit in tighter spaces.

They are drought-tolerant and are sure to add instant curb appeal. Plant them in the front yard and create drama when you highlight the tree with nighttime landscape lighting!

Strawberry Tree

The Strawberry tree is an excellent option for an eclectic addition to your landscape that will bring year-round interest to your home. Homeowners in Southern California will also appreciate its drought-tolerant abilities. In fact, the evergreen Strawberry tree thrives in the sunshine and needs little water, once established.

This medium-sized tree produces rosy pink flowers in the fall that will only add to the beauty of this tree. Some homeowners may even just want to make this tree a striking focal point in a colorful garden.

Fruitless Olive Tree

This drought-tolerant evergreen tree is perfectly suited for a Mediterranean or Southwestern landscape style. We like to make the Fruitless Olive tree a focal point in a landscape by installing night lighting in and around the tree base to show off its interesting gray multi-trunk structure. The lighting also creates amazing dramatic shadowing in your yard.

Fruitless Olive trees thrive with full sun exposure and can tolerate poor, stony, and shallow soils. With very little water requirements, once established, this hardy evergreen can grow with a wide spreading canopy, making this a great tree to add more shade in your yard.