Here are enough things to keep you busy for awhile!
SUMMER IN THE GARDEN
WEEDING
As soon as you can, weed dandelions before they flower and set seed.
This is a good time to attack Poison Ivy! Using discardable plastic gloves, cut the stems and paint the open wound with an herbicide on a HOT, SUNNY day!
When you weed, grab the flowering ones first so they don’t go to seed and spread! Then go after the tallest ones that are just taking over your other plants. Pick on the little guys last.
MAINTENANCE
Cut back tall perennials like bee balm and phlox to control their height.
The grass can be mowed when it reaches 3-4 inches (sorry, but
it IS that time again!) When you do cut it, set the mower to 2 1/2 to 3 inches.
You can fertilize any bulbs that are up.
Harvest rhubarb by grabbing it at the base of the stalk and pulling firmly away from the crown, twisting just a bit. Be sure to throw the leaves into the compost as they are poisonous!
Remove rhubarb seed stalks as they form.
You can prune your spring blooming shrubs just as soon as the flowers have faded.
Dead head your lilacs.
Plant Annuals no sooner than May 30th!
Plant your window boxes
Thin seedlings
Use balanced, organic fertilizers around flowers
Be sure to fertilize your annuals with liquid fertilizer. They’ll thank you for it by blooming continuously!
Stake tall perennials and tomatoes
Use a pine needle mulch for blueberries
Be sure your lawn mower is set to cut the grass HIGH
House plants can soon be moved outside to a shady, protected spot.
These same houseplants can be lightly fed with half strength
fertilizer.
If you have an amaryllis, now would be the time to move it outside.
Mulch perennials and roses to keep down weeds and conserve moisture.
Stop cutting asparagus when the new spears get pinkie-finger thin. Let them grow into ferns instead. It will feed the roots.
Side-Dress Veggies to give them a little boost
Are you remembering to turn the compost every once in a while? You should also wet it down if the hose is close by. Doing this will help it decompose quicker although it will eventually happen anyway!
Mow down any daffodil drifts as they die down.
Order your bulbs so they arrive in time to plant in the autumn.
Order spring bulbs now for the best selection
Fertilize plants growing in containers
Side dress vegetables with nitrogen
Pick the zucchini while it’s young and tender.
Put nets over blueberries to protect them from birds. While you’re there, give them a little fertilizer as well.
Dahlias require little artificial watering in a normal season,
but should be soaked once a week during drought
Water your roses at least once a week
Make some notes on what you need to add to next years garden while
you can see what’s blooming!
Dig potatoes after the tops have died down.
Water any newly planted shrubs and trees.
Water evergreens thoroughly during dry weather.
Treat for Powdery Mildew. Try this recipe: 1 1/2 tablespoon baking soda, 1 gallon of water and 2-3 tablespoons of horticultural oil. Spray it on all the susceptible plants every other week or so.
PRUNING/DEAD-HEADING
Tulips should be dead-headed(remove spent flower).
Don’t forget to dead head other bulbs as well. Leave the foliage, but take out the spent flower heads.
Dead-head (prune off) spent flowers from plants and shrubs
Cutting back perennials such as dianthus, veronica and other similar shrubby varieties, will possibly produce a second blooming. How great would that be? They’ll also look better!
You can make softwood cuttings of shrubs this month through July.
Pinch the leading stems of your chrysanthemum’s to encourage them to
be bushier and have more blossoms. Continue doing this every 6 inches
or so, as they grow.
Remove fruiting raspberry canes after you’ve harvested the berries.
Control the growth of strawberry runners. If you don’t trim them back to where you want them, they will be all leaves and no berries! It will also keep the bed orderly looking.
Dead-head (prune off) all your spent blossoms
Cut back delphiniums when they are finished flowering. A complete
fertilizer at this time may encourage a second blooming.
Chrysanthemums will give a better fall display if fertilized a
bit now. You can continue pinching them back until mid-July for more blooms.
Floribunda roses will flower all summer if the old flower clusters
are snipped off regularly
The snow-in-summer should be pruned hard as it makes such rapid
growth at this time
When you trim deciduous hedges(ie,privot)be sure the sides slope out toward the bottom to be sure that sunlight reaches the base of the plants.
Be sure that you dead-head all your daylilies. They will attempt do make seeds if you don’t do this. You want them to build stronger roots. Daylilies will bloom more profusely next time if you remove spent blooms. Dead heading will also give you the possibility of a “re-bloom”!
Stop pruning shrubs.
Cut off foliage of bleeding heart, which has probably become unsightly.
Your plants in hanging baskets and containers have been roaring through the nutrients in their soil. It’s time to give them a trim and a good feeding to help them continue to flourish.
INSECTS
Marigolds, zinnias and even nasturtiums are good to plant in and around
your vegetables as well as the flower beds. They repel insects!
Check your lilies for red lily leaf beetles. CRUSH them!
Have you got Hosta’s? Are there slugs chewing them? Try this solution, if you haven’t already.
Combine 9 parts water to common household ammonia and spray it on the hosta just before dark. When the slugs hit this, they will dissolve!
Check the apple, cherry, and other fruit trees for nests of tent caterpillars. As soon as the tender, new leaves emerge, so will the caterpillars. Their destruction is just awful! Bt will work if you can get it up there. I also understand that the Praying Mantis is a big time enemy of tent caterpillars. Perhaps you should order some of those! They should be released into the affected tree at the same time the caterpillars emerge. If you place them before their dinner appears, they will find another yard to in which to chow down.
If you have to spray insecticide, do it AFTER bloom is finished to protect the bees!
Look for Jap. beetles either early or late in the day and shake them into a bucket of soapy water. The reason you don’t do it mid-day is because they’ll out run you!
If you have apple trees, hang red sticky-ball traps to control apple maggot flies. Small trees can get by with 2 balls. Larger trees should probably have 4-6 balls.
If your vegetables are not yielding as much as you’d like, plant some high nectar flowers in the vegetable garden to attract more bees and other pollinators.
Watch for tomato hornworm and hand pick them.
PLANTING
You can begin to plant gladiolas at 2 week intervals.
You may still plant container grown shrubs
Plant broccoli seed for fall harvest.
If you have a water garden, there’s still time to plant water
lilies.
Any annuals can be safely set out now.
Direct seed kale seed for fall harvest
Sow a fall crop of peas
Pinch basil plants to promote bushiness
It’s a good time to sow seed of biennials and perennials
Try planting a clump of moisture loving Japanese iris where it can catch the water dripping from your air conditioner!
Madonna lilies should be divided as soon as the flowering period
is over.
Oriental poppies may be moved. Summer is the only time of the
year they can be divided successfully. Dig up the roots and cut them into 2 inch pieces and replant them in their new location.
This is the time for transplanting iris. Trim back foliage and only replant healthy, firm rhizomes. Set them quite close to the surface!
In fact, this is the best time to divide spring blooming perennials.
Start cuttings of coleus, geraniums, begonias and other plants
you want inside for the winter.
Sow forget-me-not seed. The make an attractive carpet planting
for tulip beds
This is also a good time to sow poppy seeds! August sown seed gives richer-colored flowers, so give that a try.
A Bridge to the Garden 