Despite a cool spring, the summer will soon be getting into full simmering swing. Take it easy during the heat of the day, but early mornings and late afternoons are perfect for some chores:

• Any holes that have begun to appear in the flower bed can be quickly filled with heat-seekers such as sun coleus, celosia, nicotiana, portulaca and zinnia, which thrive in the summer sun.
• Add a few tropical lilies, right, to the water garden. Include fertilizer in each pot, as these heavy-feeders need the nutrients for maximum flower production.
• If you weed the old-fashioned way, by hand, the best way to prevent even more weeds is to pull the pesky plants before they develop seed heads. Also, right after a soaking rain is the easiest time to pull weeds with their roots intact.
• Sure, it's June and the growing season is moving on, but with the cool spring we have had, it's not too late to start a summer vegetable garden. Tomatoes, peppers, green beans, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, watermelons, okra -- warm-season veggies such as these will quickly develop in the heat of the summer.
• An easy way to conserve community water this summer is to give your garden hose connections an extra twist to tighten the couplings. It's simple: no leaks, no waste.
• Don't over-mulch herbs and don't overwater them. Most herbs are tougher than many gardeners think and actually thrive in hot, semi-arid conditions.
• Herbs are usually at their harvesting best just before flowering when they contain the maximum in essential oils. Pick herbs early in the morning before the sun has a chance to dry the plants.
• If you want an all-natural, green screen, now is a fine time for growing vines. Try fast-growing annual climbers such as moonvine, scarlet runner bean, morning glory or cardinal climber.

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