Late summer is an important time in the maintenance of lawns.  This time of year is the perfect time to repair your lawn areas.  If the brown patches are from the drought, the lawn most likely will return to a healthy green, but if the brown patches are from insects, this must be treated before repair.   First you should take a clump of the brown grass in your hand, if the root structure is missing then insects are your culprit.  But if the roots are there then heat stress and lack of water is the problem.    Basically it is important to treat your lawn, rake up the dead grass and reseed.  Even though temperatures begin to cool at the end of summer, you also must monitor the watering levels.  Make sure the seed stays moistened, but not saturated.Shrubs and small ornamental trees liked to be pruned (trimmed) at this time of year also.  Make sure to cut out all the dead branches and shape the shrubs.  If the shrub or tree is flowering, do not prune until all flowering has ceased.  And last but not least a good coating of hardwood mulch in the bed areas will protect and add nutrients to the soil over winter time, giving your plants a good start next spring!