I know a cardinal rule of gardening in Ohio is to plan vacations during times other than the height of the planting season. My bad habit of breaking rules has taken the reins once again, but I was so happy with our family road trip that it was completely worth it. Life has its own path if you let it take its course.
I went West for a long roadtrip during late May and the early part of June. I returned to a wild jungle of garden work. My newly planted herbs looked absolutely lush! The Cilantro was flowering.
Given that we are now halfway into the month I will keep the reminders short. There are always the pages of Calendar garden tasks to refer to, anyway. June’s chores are here. To give you ideas of what I do in June, you might like to read through some of my Garden Journal posts for June.
Roses
Roses are always a highlight of this month, their bloom is at the zenith of fragrance and glory. I know that those who wish for prize blooms spray with fungicides and pesticides, but I put up with the vagaries of nature. The benefit (besides preserving the environment) is that I can always eat or use my rose petals.
- It is time to deadhead your spent blooms
- Fertilize rose plants, and the rest of your flowering plants
- Prune back canes that have gone awry, or diseased parts. Use some bleach solution to dip your pruners into, if cutting away diseased branches.
Vegetables
Harvest your greens, once the heat of summer comes, they will bolt and be bitter.
You can still sow beans and corn.
Stake the tomato plants, which should be taking off by now. Go ahead and plant a few if you haven’t already… but don’t wait longer.
Allow the asparagus to grow for next years crop.
June Flowers
Enjoy the fullness of bloom, then deadhead.
Prune your spring flowering shrubs, right after bloom is best, but there is a short window soon after, too.
Fertilize! You can feed your perennials right up til mid July.
Pinch back chrysanthemum and asters for delay of bloom, you can do this until July.
The Usual Chores
Weed,weed,weed.
Edge, and mulch your flower beds.
Keep grass mown, but set your mower a little higher than the springtime level.
Bulbs
Keep biting your enthusiasm to get rid of foliage until it is yellowed.
Catalogs have a arrived- a reminder to make your list of bulbs to order for fall planting.
You can lift and store spring flowering bulbs, now.
You can divide those clumps which are too crowded. Simply replant where wanted.
