June is a month full of activities in many areas of the lawn, garden, and landscape.
Here’s a suggested job list:
- Allow the tops of spring-flowering bulbs to completely wither and turn brown.
- Protect ripening strawberries from birds with netting or row cover fabric.
- Make plans to pick locally grown strawberries.
- Thin developing fruit on fruit trees if there seems to be an excessive amount. This will result in larger fruits.
- Prune fruit trees to eliminate suckers and watersprouts.
- Plant more gladiolus bulbs for a succession of bloom.
- Plant seeds of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli directly in the garden for fall garden transplants.
- Check plants carefully and regularly for insect pests.
- Be sure to thin vegetables, particularly root crops, so they’ll have room to grow properly.
- Tomatoes that are supported with stakes or cages tend to have cleaner and larger
fruits. - Harvest established asparagus beds through the end of the month.
- As perennials finish blooming, cut off the blooms and fertilize the plants.
- Stake perennials as needed.
- Apply mulches around shrubs, perennials and annuals to maintain soil moisture and an even soil temperature.
- Prune climbing roses after they have bloomed. Remove dead and older canes.
- Fertilise roses during their first bloom.
- Pinch established chrysanthemums to develop fuller and stockier plants.
- Balled and burlapped or container trees and shrubs can still be planted.
- Take softwood cuttings of shrubs to start new plants.
- Remove spent flower clusters or forming seed pods from azaleas, lilacs and rhododendrons.
- Shape the growth of pines by snapping out one half to two thirds of the new candle growth.
- Raise the mower blades to a height of 2 to 2-1/2 inches and mow frequently. Remove no more than one third of the total length of the grass blade.
- Move some houseplants to a screened porch or shaded location outdoors.
- Have a super month!
Adapted from “Seeds of Hope… Harvest of Pride!” – Gardener’s Checklist, www.bright.net/~gardens/index.html