June 2024
May was a very warm and wet month, which has led to some very lush gardens in my neighborhood. I don’t remember our garden ever looking this lush and healthy at the beginning of June. That worked out particularly well for us this year, as we were one of the featured gardens on this year’s East Row Garden Walk. Nearly 900 people toured our garden on June 1st and 2nd. It was great fun to host and interact with so many enthusiastic fellow gardeners.
As we move into June, the days will continue to lengthen and the temperatures to rise. This is also the month when many perennials in our climate begin to put on their show of riotous color. The number of bugs will also start to increase, so it is important to keep an eye out for any potential infestations and keep them from getting out of control. It’s amazing how quickly insects like aphids can multiply and damage your plants.
June is also the month when it’s finally safe to plant your tropicals, like Canna Lilies, Bananas, and Dahlias. You can also bring out your houseplants now for a Summer vacation with more light and humidity. Just make sure you place them in the shade, at least initially, so the foliage doesn’t burn.
June Garden Tasks
Water, water, water - As the temps heat up, make sure you keep your garden and containers watered. In general, your garden flowers will do well with one inch of water per week. Make sure you water the soil and not the foliage or flowers. It is also best to water first thing in the morning. If you water in the heat of the day, you will lose more of the water to evaporation and if you water in the evening, your plants leaves can stay wet all night, increasing the chance of fungal diseases.
Fertilize flowers in containers and hanging baskets. Feeding them twice a month will keep them blooming all Summer long.
Deadhead spring blooming perennials, like Salvia. Removing spent flowers will encourage the plant to send out a second flush of blooms.
Similarly, now is a good time to prune any of your Spring flowering shrubs which may have gotten overgrown. If you wait to prune until late Summer or Fall, you risk removing next year’s flower buds. Now is also a good time to prune you Wisteria vines.
June Garden Tip - Deadheading
What is deadheading?
Deadheading refers to the act of removing spent flowers from a plant to promote new growth and reflowering. These are typically flowers that have passed their peak and are no longer considered attractive. Gardeners may also remove blooms that have been damaged by weather or insects.
Plants have one mission - to reproduce and continue the species into the future. Once a plant has flowered, it shifts it energy to creating seeds, propagating the next generation. If the spent flower is removed before the plant starts generating seeds, the plant will be tricked into thinking it hasn’t accomplished its mission, thus spending its energy to produce more flowers.
Benefits of deadheading your plants
Cleans up the plant’s appearance, keeping it nice and tidy
Controls the spread of seeds into unwanted areas
Plants will grow thicker and fuller
Plant’s bloom time will be extended
How and when to deadhead
Where to make the cut on the plant can be confusing. Do NOT make the cut at the base of the flower. That will leave you with a drying and unattractive stem. It is much better to cut the entire flower stem back to the point where it connects to the plant (see photo below of me deadheading a Cosmos).
You can deadhead all season long on annuals. You can also deadhead many early flowering perennials like Salvia and get a second flush of blooms later in the summer (see pics of Salvia below - first pic shows spent first blooms, second pic shows the second bloom generated by deadheading). It is best to leave late summer seedheads for plants like the Coneflower (Echinacea), whose seeds are a food source for birds in the cooler, late season months.
