“When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.”

Unknown Possibly your weeds have called a temporary truce, the woodchucks have found greener pastures, and the squirrels are not yet digging up the lawn to stash their winter provisions. A grand time to relax, enjoy the garden, and procrastinate a little.

If you feel energetic (and who does not on a 93-degree, humid New Jersey summer day?), divide Siberian iris and bearded iris immediately after they have flowered, so the plants will have a maximum amount of time to recover before winter.

Choose a cloudy day to divide. Lift the entire clump, check for withered or dry parts. Cut rhizomes into pieces and make sure each has a growing point or foliage fan. Replant at soil level. Do not apply mulch, because it encourages rot.

Rose of Sharon — so yesterday, or not? We all have them in our gardens, adaptable, easy, trouble-free, fast-growing, impervious to pests and popular with butterflies and hummingbirds. But you might not have seen the newest cultivars like Blue Chiffon, showing off very unusual distinctive clear blue blossoms, or China Chiffon, large white flowers with a dramatic red eye and lacy center tuft. These summer favorites add easy color to the garden and do well in any well-drained soil.

If you want to add some zing to your lateseason garden, think of colorful, deer-resistant Caryopteris (Bluebeard). When other plants are going dormant, Caryopteris lights up with distinctive amethyst-blue flowers.

A favorite of mine is Sunshine Blue, with bright yellow foliage and deep purple-blue flowers. Petit Bleu is a beautiful addition to a perennial bed or mixed border, growing only 3 inches tall, and Lil’ Miss Sunshine has the bold color of Sunshine Blue in a smaller package, growing only 3 feet tall and wide.

Brilliant colors and a remarkable diversity of form and textures identify the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). A choice small tree and very tolerant of heat and humidity, it is called the “aristocrat of trees.” Vivid goldenorange and crimson fall color will assure a permanent landscape accent in your garden.

I planted Beni Schichihenge seven years ago, a small tree with dark green and silvery white leaves, in the spring, later developing into orange-pink color. I have marveled at its lacy leaves and the overall airy appearance

for years. Japanese maples are definitely worth a second look, an elegant small tree with unsurpassed foliage beauty. A connoisseur’s choice.

How do we know when to water before it’s too late? Temperature, soil and age are major factors in determining when and how often your plants need water. The best time to water plants is in the morning.

Avoid watering in the afternoon. The heat and sun are at their peak and the water will evaporate instead of being absorbed into the soil and roots. Young and newly planted specimens need more water to establish a healthy root system. Shallow and fragile roots require additional water to promote expansion.

What to do now:

• Keep deadheading throughout the summer to encourage repeat bloom. Support taller plants as they grow.

• Watch for and remove any suckers emerging from the root stock of grafted roses.

• Annuals will benefit from a light feeding. Avoid applying fertilizer when temperatures are above 85 degrees.

• Conserve water.

Gotti Kelley, past president of the Navesink Garden Club, serves on the board of the Garden Club of New Jersey.