June Gardening Tips

Follow this checklist to keep your garden thriving.

Chores and Maintenance:

• Continue to cultivate planting beds to remove weeds
• Continue to dig and divide early-blooming perennials after flowering
• Water, water, water as necessary
• Continue to mulch planting beds
• Set supports for floppy plants, vines and vegetables
• Deadhead rhododendrons, lilacs and perennials after flowering
• Add to, aerate and moisten compost pile to speed decomposition
• Continue to check for pests and other problems and treat as necessary
• Mow lawns regularly to keep grass at 2-2½ in. height
• Leave grass clippings on lawn to improve availability of nitrogen
• Water lawns if there is less than 1 in. of rain per week
• Harvest cool-weather lettuce, radishes and scallions
• Begin to spray roses every week with baking soda solution* to protect against black spot disease
• Continue application of deer repellents

* Cornell University formula consists of : 3 tsp. baking soda, 2½ tbs. summer-weight horticultural oil, mixed with 1 gallon of water.

Planting:

• Complete moving self-sown annuals and perennials to desired location
• Sow seeds of fast-growing annuals like marigolds, zinnias, and cosmos directly in the garden
• Sow seeds of heat-tolerant vegetables
• Continue to plant and transplant perennials, weather and soil conditions permitting
• Finish planting summer annuals
• Complete planting summer-flowering bulbs such as cannas, gladiolas and dahlias
• Plant caladium and tuberous begonias in shady spots

Pruning/Fertilizing:

• Continue to prune all plant material to remove any diseased, dead, weak or crossing branches
• Complete pruning early spring-flowering shrubs
• Prune evergreens and evergreen hedges into early summer
• Continue deadheading roses
• Fertilize roses after peak bloom
• Complete fertilizing spring-flowering bulbs
• Fertilize annuals and container plants
• Fertilize vegetables