June reigns as queen at the garden world. Even at higher elevations, winter has loosened its arctic grip, along with the lush greens of new foliage shimmer in the sun’s warmth. Insert the jewellike glow of abundant blossoms and June is, indeed, a month to behold. This can be a busy time in the garden, with plenty of options to keep you active and involved until the heat of summer arrives. The important thing is setting your objectives and prioritizing your time so that you don’t run yourself ragged. Summertime should be enjoyable time, right?
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Plant edibles. Growing delicious foods and seasonings to your table is just one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening. If one of your goals this month is to get on the grow-your-own bandwagon, then make sure you prioritize your planting schedule to accommodate your time-sensitive requirements of your favourite plants; many rely on a particular number of days from planting until they’re mature enough to harvest.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Placing out small plants rather than starting from seeds is a fantastic means to jumpstart the process. After the final frost date has passed and the soil has warmed, you may safely plant warm-season crops, like cucumbers, summer squash, pumpkins, beans, peppers, eggplant, corn and tomatoes. Keep a lightweight freeze blanket useful and protect plants when nighttime temperatures are forecast to dip under 55 degrees.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Mix it up. Herbs and veggies incorporate nicely with decorative plants in mixed borders. Artichoke, Swiss chard, Tuscan kale, curl-leaf parsley, culinary sage, red cabbage and dill are just a couple of instances of summer hardy edibles with lovely texture and color.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Plant them into well-amended soil in areas that receive regular watering — I tuck mine to small spaces that border the edge of the yard, where they are easy to track and harvest.
Check with your county extension service for up-to-date info and plant recommendations for your particular site.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Plant annuals and perennials. Flowers offer much to entertain: color, form, texture and odor. As a food source they attract butterflies, birds and myriad other winged creatures. If your target is to bring some flower power to your backyard, then this really is the ideal time to see the regional garden centre for the best selection. Container gardens can be a terrific way to bring the beauty of crops to the place where they are most needed. Consider including a cluster of colorful pots to a place that’s hard to garden , like an area with shallow, rocky land or dense tree roots.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Plant trees and shrubs. Shrubs and trees would be the permanent characteristics in your landscape, the crops which create rooms and mitigate harsh environmental factors like wind and sunlight. They add color and texture to the garden even during the long months of winter.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
If your target is to bring some structure to your backyard, then June is the ideal time to purchase woody crops, particularly broadleaf evergreens. Early summer planting gives them a fantastic start on creating new root growth and getting established prior to winter. Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium), Chidftan manzanita (Arctostaphylos x coloradensis‘Chieftan’), Bright Edge yucca (Yucca flaccida‘Bright Edge’) and Coral Beauty cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri‘Coral Beauty’) are ranked for elevations up to 7,500 feet.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Shop for success. The best range of garden plants is now available at the regional garden centre. Sometimes so many options can be overwhelming. Keep these factors in mind:
Match the growing conditions of your website — sun, soil type and water availability — to the cultural needs of this plant. For example, a plant which needs a moist, shady setting won’t survive in a hot, glowing”hell strip.” Match the size of your garden area to the ultimate size of this plant. Spacing plants appropriately enables the natural type of the plant grow to its entire potential. Select new plants which will make an aesthetic contribution to your backyard. Is your backyard lacking in bold foliage textures or needing a shot of crimson? Insert those attributes to your record.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Primp. Eliminate the spent blossoms from spring-blooming plants. Deadheading the plant won’t just make it look much better, but it will keep it from forming seed. Your plants’ power will be better spent on developing healthy foliage and root systems. Some crops may also form another pair of flower buds and bloom once more. Deadhead by snipping the blossom and a little bit of the stem off; create your cut just above a leaf node.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
For perennials that bloom on stalks or scapes which come from a foliage mass in ground level, like lilies (Lilium spp.) Or bearded iris (Iris germanica), cut the stalks all the way down to the bottom of this plant. For those masses of blossoms on perennials like candytuft (Iberis sempervirens), purple stone cress (Aubrieta deltoides) and basket of golden (Aurinia saxatilis), it is best to shear the whole plant down by about half.
Mulch. In June, as the soil warms and your crops are growing, it is a fantastic time to make sure you have a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch during your planting beds. Mulch will help conserve moisture, stabilize temperatures, decrease soil erosion, reduce soil compaction and protect against weed growth. Local organic substances like pine needles, pine bark, shredded cedar and aspen chips are best for this function. An inorganic mulch of river stone or crushed stone could be preferable in areas where high winds or forest fires are a threat.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Visit. June is currently the month for garden tours. There’s no better way to get inspired by great layout, find new furnishings or plants or just reinvigorate your love of gardening than simply by attending a garden tour.
Some tours focus on landscapes which have been masterfully designed and installed by landscape professionals; many others revel in the private creativity of dedicated amateurs.
Garden tours tend to be fund raising events together with the profits benefiting a community organization. Nationally, the Garden Conservancy sponsors open days during the summer at some of their possessions across the USA.
Happy gardening!