Want a beautiful garden? Here's what you need to do to get it

Gardeners, it’s getting really pretty out there, but wait, before you plop yourself in the Adirondack chair with a stack of magazines and the lemonade…you MUST water, weed, pinch, dig and sew!

Although there are still many tasks to be done in the June garden, this transitional month is filled with the heady sights and smells of late spring/early summer blossoms that make working out of doors an almost other-worldly experience.  The garden is filled with old fashioned favorites that bloom like clockwork each year, filling in the borders magnificently until the annuals fill in.

According to famed British Garden Designer Gertrude Jeykll, “masses of blooms” are to be idealized rather than little spritzes of color here and there.  It is all a matter of personal preference, but compact gardens do translate into less weeding, even though to some they may appear messy or out of control.  Mostly green hedges and borders are indeed beautiful, looking neat and trim form the road, but somewhere in the yard, front or back, needs to be a color surprise-one area or bed filled with a riots of blooms.  These can be in the form of some of the exciting repeat blooming roses such as the Knock-out or the Carefree variety.  These high yielding shrubs produce colorful, sturdy and relatively problem free blossoms from June through September.  Surround these shrubs with equally dependable and compact Hostas and you will have a predictable display for many years to come.

I like to add one new thing to the garden each year and often borrow divided plants from one part of the yard to another, in order to have consistency as a base to a bit of chaos.  Let’s face it, you just can’t control everything, but you can always frame it neatly with those predictable hostas or charming box.

Water

Make sure to “water in” any transplants or new plantings.  Water deeply, preferably early in the  morning, so the plants can dry off before evening, avoiding the growth of molds. Water to the depth of at least 2-3 inches in the soil.  Test the soil with your pointer finger to make sure it is thoroughly soaked.  Many times the surface soil will look wet, when it is dry, barely underneath. Water containers more frequently as they are prone to drying out.  In extreme heat it is entirely possible to water container plants twice a day.

Weed

Weed beds regularly, avoiding a massive onslaught by the pesky things which seem to quadruple on vacations.  Put healthy weeds that are not diseased or full insects into the compost.  It is not a good idea to compost weeds that have flowered as they have “gone to seed” as they will permeate your soil with baby weeds.  Mulch around plants to a depth of 2-3” to cut down on weeds.  Hay is a good mulch for the vegetable garden.

Pinch

Pinch back Montauk Daisies and Chrysanthemums until July to force plants to bush out, rather than become tall and spindly.  Deadhead, (pinch off)- that is remove spent flowers from rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurels and lilacs.  Deadhead repeat blooming roses to encourage the growth or more blossoms.  Throw blossoms into the compost.

Dig

Continue planting trees, shrubs, ground covers and other container plants until the really hot weather sets in.  After that point it is advisable to wait until the fall as the stress of intense heat is too much for plants trying to set roots.  Remember to dig a hole a little deeper and twice as wide as the container or ball the plant came in.  Loosen up the dirt in the hole and mix with 1/3 peat.  Plant at the same level that it was in the container. Firm the dirt around the plant.  Water and continue to water almost daily to establish the roots.

Finish transplanting seedlings such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, melons. (It is ideal to do your transplanting on a windless and cloudy day as it minimizes water-loss and reduces the shock of transplanting in the blazing sun or extreme heat.  Make sure to water all newly planted plants, be vigilant to continue to water regularly to aid developing roots.)

Sew

Sew annual seeds such as zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, love-in-a-mist, and marigolds.  Direct sew vegetables now that the soil is nearing 70 degrees: squashes, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers and many herbs such as fast-growing basil.  Finish sewing corn. Direct seed fall crops-kale, collards, and rutabagas while transplanting broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts.

(P.S. You have to stake and spray too)

Stake tall flowers and vegetables at this time and transplant warm season annuals into the borders. 

Spray roses early in the morning to prevent fungal diseases.  Make sure to scratch compost in around “their feet” and fertilize repeat bloomers but not one-timers.

It is especially delightful to incorporate “self-sewing” perennials into the garden, especially low growing plants in the border.  Self-sewing plants spread nicely on their own, multiplying each year, as long as they like the light and soil requirements.  Coreopsis, especially ‘Moon Beam’, false sunflower (Helioposis helianthoides), obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana), bee balm (Monarda spp.) and forget-me-knots are lovely as are low-growing catmints, sages, sundrops and salvias.

Coming soon:  Pests in the Garden, Children’s Garden Activities and Alternatives to Grass!