The virtue of a vine is unmistakable. The beauty of foliage and flower alone makes a vine worthy of space in any garden. Yet it can also offer coverage of an ugly fence or wall, provide architectural structural beauty, act as a screen separating garden spaces or frame a garden entrance.

Flowering vines attract wildlife such as birds, bees, and butterflies. Many have fragrant flowers and wonderful, bold colors as well as interesting shapes ranging from trumpet, tubular, and star-shaped flowers to colorful bracts with many smaller flowers.

Most vines either twine, cling or arch. The structure that you choose to train your vine onto will depend upon its growth habit and the ultimate size it can grow to. Some vines have more delicate branching while others, such as wisteria, develop strong, large woody vines from which the foliage and flowers emerge. That type of vine needs an extremely sturdy structure. Most other vines are easily trained onto a trellis or arbor. And of course the ‘clingers’ need a fence or wall to attach to.

We’re excited about the summer blooming vines we have in stock and invite you to look at our list below. They are blooming in the garden center and will continue to bloom for you at home, providing years of enjoyment.

Click here to view pics of summer vines

You squish them and flick them, yet still they keep coming back. What is it with all these ants?

Knowing the type of ant pest you're dealing with will help you decide if you want to continue to allow these insects to thrive in your landscaping or not. As ants typically collect pieces of dead, or almost dead, insects, and loose or old vegetation, they might be more beneficial than you think.

On the other hand, fire ants and other species will bite when they feel threatened. The bite of biting ants is very painful, and can be a great danger to those who are allergic. Not as serious, but still a nuisance, some species will farm aphids on your plants, as the aphid secretes a sugary liquid called honeydew that ants crave.

Killing ants is not difficult if the proper method is used. As ants breathe oxygen through tiny passages in their exoskeleton, a product containing boric acid can be used to clog these holes and suffocate the ant. We recommend Terro Liquid Ant Bait. It is a prefilled bait station containing borax. No need to spray, just open the package & set out. We also have one for outside use.

Do not squash ants unless you wish to attract them, as the scent released when they die will attract other ants to come and take them back to the colony as food.

• Be careful of the heat. Wear a hat and sunscreen; drink plenty of water. Try to do outside work in the morning or evening, when it is cooler.
• Be sure to trim trees and vines growing near swimming pools.
• Choose crape myrtles.
• Clean off the stems from agapanthus and daylilies that have already bloomed.
• Control fireblight by removing disfigured branches and twigs.
• Control pests and diseases that cause dead brown patches on cool-season lawns.
• Control pests on fuchsias.
• Control rose pests and diseases.
• Control white grubs on cool-season lawns.
• Cut back your petunias in mid-August to keep them flowering.
• Cut off the suckers from deciduous fruit trees.
• Do not fertilize deciduous fruit trees.
• Feed fuchsias, tuberous begonias, water lilies, cymbidiums, ferns and tropicals.
• Feed warm-season lawns. Feed cool-season lawns only if they show signs of yellowing.
• Fertilize biennials started from seed in July with fish emulsion at weekly intervals.
• Fertilize roses with Dr. Earth Rose Food.
• Give fuchsias a light pruning.
• Control weeds by mulching, cultivating, and hand-pulling.
• Plant papayas, bananas, and palms.
• Plant tropicals in coastal zones.
• Prune and train wisteria.
• Prune and train your espaliers through the growing season.
• Pull out dead crabgrass if you have previously treated it with weed killer.
• Purchase and plant succulents, cacti, and euphorbias.
• Remove dead and dying foliage from date palms.
• Remove suckers from roses.
• Stop pinching chrysanthemums.
• Study your irrigation system, check for malfunctioning heads. On drip irrigation systems, flush filters and headers.
• Transplant palms.
• Water warm-season lawns deeply at least once a week in most zones. Water cool-season lawns more shallowly and frequently.
• Water, water water! Be sure to keep container plants and garden beds watered well.