Horticulturalist Melinda Myers offers tips and suggestions for each month of the year.
Take a walk around the yard. Look for bare or drab areas that would benefit from a little annual color. Use annuals to mask declining spring bulbs and early blooming perennials. Consider adding a pot of annuals to the patio.
Use large tropical plants as accents in your flowerbeds. Leave the plants in their original container and sink the pot into the garden. The surrounding soil will insulate the pot and you’ll need to water the pot less often than if it were above ground.
Reduce transplant shock by planting in early morning or late afternoon. Proper planting and post-planting care will help the transplants adjust to their new location.
Incorporate a slow-release fertilizer into the soil of container gardens at planting. Every time you water you will be fertilizing. You won’t need to make a second application for at least 6-8 weeks. Or use a diluted solution of any flowering plant fertilizer every two weeks.
Reduce maintenance and improve the health of your trees and shrubs by removing the surrounding grass to create beds of perennials, groundcovers or mulch. You’ll protect them from weed whip and mower damage and eliminate the competition from grass for water and nutrients.
Remove and destroy brown flower buds that fail to open on peonies and roses. Proper sanitation and some cooperation from the weather can keep this disease in check.
Mulch gardens with a thin layer (1-2″) of evergreen needles, shredded leaves, or other organic material to conserve moisture, moderate soil temperature and reduce weeds.
Improve the appearance of Sedum Autumn Joy and Russian sage plants that were floppy in the past. Prune the plants back halfway to encourage more compact growth that doesn’t need staking.
Harvest strawberries at least every other day to ensure quality and reduce the number of overripe berries on the plants. Overripe berries attract insects and increase the risk of disease.
Continue to plant warm season vegetables like tomatoes, pepper and melons. The warm soil and air will help get these plants off to a robust start.
Once your early plantings of lettuce, radishes and beets have been harvested, replant the area with cucumbers, beans, onions and other summer crops. You’ll double your harvest and maximize your enjoyment.
Cover broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussel Sprouts with a floating row cover to prevent cabbage worms from reaching and feeding on the plants. Or apply the environmentally friendly Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki to the plants to control cabbage worms. This bacteria kills only true caterpillars and is safe for people, pets and wildlife.
There’s still time to help your lawn through the stressful summer with proper fertilization. Apply a low nitrogen slow-release fertilizer in early June if you were unable to fertilize in late May.
Turf damaging grubs are the immature larvae of several different beetles. They feed on grass roots, causing the turf to be uniformly thin, droughty or dead. Treat only if 3 or 4 grubs are found per every 1 square foot of turf sampled.
Minimize dead spots in the lawn caused by dog urine. Thoroughly water the area to dilute the urine and wash it through the soil. It may not be practical, but it is effective. Or train your dog to go in a specific mulched bed or area of the landscape.
Check all plantings for signs of Japanese beetles. These small, metallic-green insects emerge in late June and feed on the flowers and leaves of over 300 different types of plants.
Cool, wet springs mean lots of diseases. Remove spotted, blotchy or discolored leaves as soon as they are found. Sanitation is the best control for disease problems.
Watch for leafhoppers, aphids and mites. These insects suck plant juices, causing leaves to yellow, brown and die. Control small populations with a strong blast of water from the garden hose. Larger populations can be controlled with insecticidal soap, horticulture oil or Neem. Read and follow all label directions before applications.
Treat Euonymus scale with environmentally friendly insecticidal soap or horticulture oil when the translucent nymphs are active. This coincides with the bloom time of Japanese Tree lilacs.
