Slice length-wise, brush with good olive oil, salt and pepper and place on the grill. Small containers and hanging baskets dry out quickly on hot summer days. Some containers may have to be watered twice a day. Mature almond, peach and nectarine trees need a nitrogen feeding this month. Feed azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias for the final time this year.
Spider mites thrive when it's hot and dusty.
If you find webbing, strippling or suspect mites, spray plants with water in early morning and make sure you wet the underside of leaves. Dividing crowded clumps of Shasta daisies now will improve flower size next year. Feed chrysanthemums three times between now and mid-September for the most spectacular show of blossoms. Before leaving town for a few days of vacation, deep-water plants and mulch around the stems to retain moisture. A native of the tropics, lantana is happiest when growing under a blazing sun.