Gardening Simplified - Easy Gardening Tips for Real Life

When It’s Too Hot to Garden – What Relaxed Gardeners Do Instead

By Donna Moyer Aug 04, 2026

When It’s Too Hot to Garden – What Relaxed Gardeners Do Instead

There are weeks in July when the smartest thing a gardener can do is put down the
trowel and walk away.

Not because the garden doesn’t need attention — but because
there’s genuinely very little planting or major work worth doing in peak summer heat.


So what do relaxed gardeners do instead?

Read on to find out a few of my favorite gardening adjacent things to do when it's too hot to work in the garden.

Posted in botanical gardens, cooperative extension, garden inspiration, garden learning, garden tours, herb workshops, July gardening, Longwood Gardens, relaxed gardener, summer gardening, too hot to garden

Why Your Hanging Baskets Are Struggling in July — And the Simple Fixes That Actually Work

By Donna Moyer Jul 09, 2026

Why Your Hanging Baskets Are Struggling in July — And the Simple Fixes That Actually Work

Your hanging baskets aren't failing — July is just the hardest month. By midsummer
plants shift from growth mode into reproduction mode.

Read on for the two things that redirect their energy back into blooming — including the weekly step most gardeners don't know about.

Posted in container gardening, deadheading, fertilizing, gardening tips, hanging basket care, hanging baskets, July gardening, porch garden, relaxed gardener, summer gardening, summer plants, watering hanging baskets