Inspect the soil in your perennial garden. Because the plants remain there year after year, sometimes the soil becomes depleted. If you notice a hard crust on top of the soil, a topdressing of mushroom manure, compost, or any other form of organic matter is probably in order. This will keep the roots cool and moist and reduce soil compaction. If you choose something fortifying such as manure or compost, this can help feed your plants over the summer as well.
Feeding
Speaking of feeding your plants, the above will help to keep perennials well-fed over the summer but your plants will most likely benefit from an auxilliary fertilizer as well. I top-dress with compost and ammend with seaweed at the start of the season, just as perennials are beginning to emerge from the ground, and once again in late-spring. This provides all the nutrients my plants need. If you have no local source of seaweed, there are several seaweed concentrates on the market. These are worth the extra cost over chemical fertilizers because they allow soil insects, such as worms and beneficial nematodes, to thrive, while their chemical counterparts can harm soil flora. Also, seaweed and it's concentrates includes micronutrients that many chemical feeds to not supply.
Weeding
This is surely one of the most enjoyable job in the garden -- that is, when there are not so many weeds! Pulling early will help keep weeds in check. The more on top of your weeding you are the easier it will be. Never let weeds flower and spread their seeds. Chop weeds down rather than let them flower.
Chrysanthemums
Mums thrive on pinching. This develops a bushier plant. Pinch mums until the middle of July for early-flowering types, and until mid-August for late-bloomers. For taller plants with large flowers, pinch out side shoots, and don't pinch the tips.
Fall-blooming asters are a really great addition to the fall garden, but often look really awful at the base of the plant by the time they flower. It's a good idea to water and feed these plants well, but there will always be some dead foliage at the base, so be sure to plant some lower-growing plants in front to hide it.
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