This month, vibrant colors and abundant growth set the stage for a delightful outdoor experience.
With longer days and warmer temperatures, June invites us to embrace the beauty of fragrant blooming flowers, lush foliage, and freshly picked berries. Most of all, now is the time to indulge in the wonders of our garden sanctuaries.
June To Do List in the Garden
Seasonal Color
Many warm-season and tropical beauties are now available. Plant flowers like Dahlias, Lilies, Zinnias, Begonias, Cosmos, and Black-Eye Susan vines for vibrant color. Add bold foliage plants like Bananas, Callas, and Coleus to boost summer displays.
Keep summer annuals blooming by pinching off spent flowers, watering, and fertilizing using a liquid or granular bloom booster with high Phosphorous, indicated by a high middle number in the N-P-K reading on the front of the package.
Roses are in full bloom, making it the perfect time to fertilize them again to help support the next wave of flowers in a few weeks. Deadhead your roses regularly by removing spent blooms or by cutting blooming stems to display indoors.
PLANTING & MAINTENANCE
Landscape shrubs and trees can still be planted! This is a great time to visit our garden centers to browse our excellent selection and add in foundation plants to the landscape.
Water and mulch beds as summer heat arrives. Oregon summers are dry with very little rainfall; new plantings and containers are most vulnerable to drought.
- Use high-quality hoses, water wands, and sprinklers to maximize efficiency and avoid water loss. We love the rainbow of colors and multiple styles available from Dramm.
- Apply an inch or so of organic mulch like G&B Soil Building Conditioner to mature beds and new plantings to suppress weeds and conserve water.
All plants will benefit from fertilizing this month, especially containers, flower beds, and vegetables. We love G&B organic fertilizers in granular or liquid form because they feed the plant as well as the soil microbes!
To support healthy, blooming Roses:
- Fertilize regularly; remove old flowers and damaged leaves.
- Watch for fungal diseases (powdery mildew, black spot) and treat with Bonide Neem Oil.
- If insects and diseases were a problem in the past or if disease is very serious and covers most of the plant, treat with Bayer 3-in-1 Insect, Disease & Mite Control.
Fruit trees can be pruned to minimize green growth and get sunlight to fruiting branches. Prune when fruit is obvious and remove branches that don’t have fruit to help maintain structure, especially on espaliered forms.
Prune Spring-flowering shrubs and vines such as Rhododendrons, Lilacs, Spring-blooming Clematis, and Wisteria as flowers fade to control size or shape plants.
Shear hedges like Boxwood, Laurel and broad-leafed evergreens in late June once nesting birds have fledged to avoid disturbing nests.
Pest and weed control:
- Bring home ladybugs to combat aphids and lacebug.
- Attract beneficial insects by planting insectary plants like Alyssum, Coriander, Candytuft, Sunflower, Yarrow, and Dill.
- Control slugs with Sluggo or Bonide Slug & Bug.
- Control garden weeds by pulling, hoeing, or mulching.
EDIBLE GARDENING
Fertilize vegetables one month after seedlings emerge or starts were planted. Side-dress along rows or surround stand-alone plants with G&B Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer.
Plant starts: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Lettuce, Parsley, Pepper, Potatoes, Squash, Tomato
Sow for late-summer harvest: Beets, Carrots, Celery, Corn, Kale, Leeks, Radish, Beans, Lettuce
Thin seedlings for proper spacing as they grow. Harvest thinned seedlings from lettuce, peas, onion, and chard to eat as micro greens.
After normal fruit drop of apples, pears, and peaches, consider thinning the remaining fruit further so that any remaining fruits grow larger.
Pick and enjoy ripe strawberries regularly to avoid fruit-rotting diseases.
Spray apple and pear trees for codling moth in first and last week of June, using a pheromone trap to detect the presence of codling moth caterpillars. Treat with a hose-end sprayer with Bonide Captain Jack’s.
Control aphids on vegetables; hose off with water, release beneficial bugs, or use Neem Oil.
Monitor beans and lettuce for 12-spotted beetles; check cole crops for cabbage worms or flea beetles. Remove by hand or treat with Bonide Captain Jack’s or Neem Oil.
Control slugs with Sluggo or Bonide Slug & Bug.
Pull weeds to minimize competition with crops.
Lawn Care in June
Tune your irrigation system! Make adjustments to run times on the lawn to help support your grass during warmer, dryer periods. Be mindful of overwatering, as June evening temperatures can still be quite low. Start with watering every other day and the increase times or durations as needed when temperatures rise.
Fertilize your lawn with an organic lawn food like G&B Lawn Fertilizer to provide even nutrition all through the growing season.
Organizing the Garden Shed
Summer brings bounty—including insect pests. To manage garden pests we offer standard chemical controls as well as eco-friendly and organic solutions such as live beneficial insects and natural products to control slugs, aphids, lacebug, spider mites, caterpillars, root weevils, and budworms.
Our staff is here to help solve any of your garden challenges. Bring in a photo of the plant and a bagged sample of the leaves that are experiencing fungal or insect issues into our Garden Centers for expert advice on how best to manage the issue.
Indoor Gardening in June
As summer weather beckons us outdoors, indoor plant maintenance returns to its growing-season routine.
- Increase watering and misting, especially if running air conditioners which dry out indoor air.
- Feed regularly with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to ½ strength.
- Continue to monitor leaves, stems, and soil for pests.
- For a change, move houseplants outside to shaded areas for natural light.
- Watch for sunburn on tender foliage; move plants away from direct sunlight or out of hot rooms.
What to Do for Fun in June
Enjoy summer by relaxing in your gorgeous garden.
- Kick your feet up and admire all of your hard work.
- Sit outside with a fresh drink garnished with herbs or edible flowers.
- Create a backyard bouquet with cut flowers and foliage.
- Add fresh herbs from your garden to a mixed salad.
- Take a walk in your neighborhood to admire other gardens and snap photos of your favorite plants as a reminder of what you might like to purchase.
- Attend one of our classes for information and inspiration.
View the garden tips and checklist for July in the Garden. Or go back and view the tips and checklist for May in the Garden.