Around the Yard

Things to do this week:

* Back off on bougainvillea. For the best blooms and brightest colors, water bougainvillea less often. Established plants in the ground need virtually no water while they are in bloom.

* Prune hibiscus, princess flower. Now that it’s warm, you can prune as much as one-third of the growth from princess flowers (Tibouchina) or hibiscus and they will bounce right back with more flowers and denser growth. On both, flowers form on new growth.

* Weed lawns. To get Bermuda grass, Kikuyu or oxalis out of fescue lawns, try the herbicide Turflon Ester made by Monterey Lawn & Garden. This new product kills already-growing broadleaf weeds and tropical grasses in cool-season lawns. It’s difficult to get these weeds out any other way.

* Dry garlic and onions. As leaves begin to brown on garlic and onions, stop watering, so papery outer skins can form. When leaves are halfway dry, it’s OK to bend them over to speed the process. Don’t dig bulbs until they’re completely dry if you plan to store them for any amount of time.