Give potted plants with sun-sensitive foliage, such as bromeliads and some agaves, late-day shade by positioning them near trees or shrubs.

While you wouldn't forget to wash your hands after working in the garden or to brush your teeth before heading to bed, you might not realize that your garden tools need the same daily care. Before long, the tools begin to deteriorate -- but so gradually that you may not notice until it's too late. Caring for tools is far easier than working with dull or rusted ones and cheaper than buying new ones every few years.

Make sure hose ends and attachments are fitted with rubber washers. These flat rings should sit inside the hose connectors to form a tight seal, which prevents leaks and improves water pressure.

Raise the lawn-mower blade height 1/2 inch in hot, dry weather. This encourages turf grass to root deeper and shades the soil, protecting the crown (where the stem and root meet) from heat stress.

Continue deadheading annuals and perennials regularly to groom and promote blooming.

Inspect the siding and shingles on your house for cracks and holes. Replace caulk around windows and in crevices, if necessary, to prevent water and air from leaking into your home.

If you've found a crack in a favorite or valuable terra-cotta pot, mend it with a simple suture. Bind the pot's circumference at the top and bottom with twine. Using a 1/8-inch masonry bit, drill a hole on each side of the fissure, each about 1/2-inch from the crack. Drill additional pairs of holes as necessary, a few inches apart, along the crack. Slip a four-inch piece of 20-gauge brass or copper wire through each pair of holes from the outside. Tightly twist the wire, and smooth it flat against the inside of the pot. Remove twine and plant.

To protect your garden from burrowing pests, dig a six- to twelve-inch trench around it, then line the trench with quarter-inch galvanized wire mesh. Keep rabbits and other small animals out by installing a three-foot-high mesh fence.

If you don't already compost, begin a pile this year with leaves, other garden debris, and kitchen scraps. It's a great way to recycle and creates humus -- decomposed organic matter -- which is a wonderful source of nourishment for your garden. The best compost contains two or three parts "brown," or carbon-rich matter, and one part "green," or nitrogen-rich matter. Brown matter can include fallen leaves, pine needles, sawdust, shredded newspaper, straw, small twigs, and wood shavings. Green matter can include grass clippings (pesticide-free), vegetable and fruit scraps, soft garden prunings, houseplant trimmings, coffee grounds, eggshells, and spent flowers.

Consider getting your soil tested; this should be done about every ten years. Doing so in fall will allow you to make adjustments in time for spring planting. Contact your local cooperative extension office. For a small fee, it will have your soil analyzed and issue you a report.