It’s June, the weather is fabulous: flowers are bursting from buds, fragrances float gently through the breeze. Hmm, that could be shortened to “Sun, buds bursting, breezes floating fragrances…birds sing!”

Planting

Continue to tuck in or fill out your garden beds with all the wonderful annual and perennial color that is arriving at the garden center. Celosia, dahlia, marigold, petunia, portulaca, salvia, scabiosa, verbena, zinnia, rudbeckia, gloriosa daisy, heliotrope, coreopsis, delphinium, digitalis–the list goes on and on! Can you name a few more?

Subtropicals abound. Now is an excellent time to plant hibiscus, gardenia, tibouchina (princess flower), and/or bougainvillea, shrub or vine.

Vegetables–have you been growing yours from seeds? Now is a good time to plant these little plants: cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes. You can begin these vegetables from seeds now: Summer and Winter squashes, pumpkins (for parents with kids that love Halloween pumpkin carving and decorating), and corn (remember to plant at least a couple of rows of corn).

For that kitchen garden, now is a good time to plant your culinary herbs such as basil, chives, lemongrass, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage and tarragon. Rosemary should be a permanent member of your garden!

Maintenance

Now is a good time to fertilize your flowers, roses, vegetables and warm season lawns.

For those growing native plants or other drought tolerant types, now is NOT the time to fertilize or to plant new natives. Your natives are preparing to go dormant for the Summer.

Many have asked us what is causing yellowing in the leaves of their citrus, camellias, and gardenias. Iron deficiency. Do the leaves near the top of the plant have green veins but yellow in between the veins? Time for either a foliar spray or a soil drench. Try some to return those leaves to green!

Rose lovers, you may be starting to experience powdery mildew, rust, and of course, the “beloved” rose slug. And oh, did I mention aphids? There is a multitude of products: earth-friendly types and others that are synthetic chemicals. Please ask one of us for suggestions on the best pest-fighting product for your rose garden.

Other Basics–step up your watering as we enter into these warmer months. Weed and then, what’s the final set of three words?

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch.*

* We will always tell you to mulch. This does not mean mound up the mulch to 5 feet. It means continue to replenish the mulch and maintain a 2-4 inch blanket over your soil. So when you hear us singing the MULCH song, you know just what we mean!