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 June celebrates summertime!
Most gardeners have started their summer plantings and maintenance.
With the warmer weather upon us, water at cooler times to conserve water.
Annuals
Bulbs & Perennials
Lawns
Vegetables
Weeds
Pest Control
Indoor Gardening
Shrubs and Trees
Planning
Annuals
 | It's still not too late to plant annuals such as petunia, coleus,
geraniums and impatiens. |
| You may also plant sunflowers, marigold, cosmos, sweet alyssum and
zinnia. |
| Be sure to deadhead annuals that have already bloomed. |
| Most herbs need no fertilizer and little water, so water only during
prolonged dry spells. |
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Bulbs & Perennials
| You may also plant bulbs of dahlia, canna, tuberous and gladiola for
later blooms. Glads may be
planted every week from now till early July for continuous displays and
cuttings. |
| Perennials that have flowered in the spring can be dug up and divided
now to prevent over-crowding. This includes irises, Oriental
poppies, primroses and Doronicum daisies. |
| Pinch off spent blooms to keep flowers coming. |
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Lawns
| It's still not too late to aerate. |
| You may still overseed or reseed stubborn areas. |
| Fertilize now if you didn't during April or May. Better yet, lay
down about an inch of compost. |
| Make sure you add at least 1 inch of water per week if it doesn't
rain. |
| When grass reaches 3½ to 4 inches, cut only
the top 1 inch with your sharp mower blade and leave the clippings on the
lawn for nourishment and to help prevent weeds. |
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Vegetables
| All herbs can be planted this month. |
| It should be safe now to plant vegetables such
as beans, peas, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, corn and chard. |
| Corn, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes should be
planted as soon as possible. |
| Start successive plantings of carrots, lettuce,
spinach, chard, kohlrabi, beets, parsnips, radishes, turnips, bush beans and
peas to expand your harvest season. |
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Weeds
| If you stayed on top of your weeding, continue to do so. They
will start growing more vigorously now. |
| Try to always remove weeds by hand. |
| If you use sprays, be sure to choose a warm day without wind. |
| Take your time and remove weeds by hand if possible, especially the
flowers. There will be much less work later. |
| Do not put your weeds in a compost pile unless it reaches high
temperatures. |
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Pest Control
| Continue to reduce the slug population by setting out stale beer in shallow
saucers, or remove them by hand. |
| Aphids are still here. Knock them off plants with a strong water hose
spray or use insecticidal soap spray. |
| You may also use the soap on plant bugs that are pestering your
shrubs, perennials or fruit trees. |
| Practice integrated pest management (IPM). Use pesticides least
toxic to fish and wildlife. |
| Use insecticidal sprays that break down readily. |
| Try to provide an environment that is beneficial to predatory insects,
such as lady bugs, by planting a patch mixture of crimson clover and hairy
vetch. |
| If you use Japanese beetle traps, place them at least 25 feet away
from plants they attack. |
| Using milky spore disease (Bacillus popilliae) will only be
effective if most of your neighbors use it also. |
| Only spray pesticides in the evening to protect bees that will have
returned to their hives at that time. |
| Make sure you wear protective clothing and follow label instructions
when using pesticides. |
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Indoor Gardening
| Keep plants away from air conditioner drafts. |
| Going on vacation? Soak house plants thoroughly and allow to drain.
Place them in a plastic bag and tightly tie the opening. Sticks in the
soil will keep the bag away from the foliage. Plants such as African
violets should have small holes in the bag for air circulation. |
| Make sure you feed your plants now that they are in their growing season. |
| Keep a watch on the individual light needs of your plants. |
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Shrubs and Trees
| Summer plantings of shrubs are possible if you use container-grown plants.
Water the newly planted shrubs frequently. |
| Prune rambling and climbing roses after they bloom. |
| Watch for and control black spot and powdery mildew on rose foliage. |
| Take softwood cuttings now to start new plants of spirea, boxwood and
azalea. |
| Make sure that you adequately mulch around trees and shrubs to reduce
groundcovers and grasses. |
| Prune out damaged or dead branches on shade trees. |
| Watch for any unusual growth or diseases on trees and contact your
extension agent. |
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Planning
| Continue to keep a diary of everything you have planted, especially
since there is new growth. |
| Watch for areas of your gardens that are not doing well, analyze them,
and plan for changes. |
| Reuse any containers that support root growth and that provide
adequate drainage to spruce up your patio or front porch. |
| Note where shadows fall so that you can later move sun-loving plants. |
| Record which plants have the fewest problems and their growing
environments. |
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