June gardening part 1

For gardeners, June is the month to truly enjoy the garden. Most of the serious planting has been done, so it is time to pause and to reflect on our accomplishments and enjoy the fruits of our labor. But we need not reflect very long, for additional planting, spraying, pinching, watering and fertilizing are waiting to be done. Following is a list of things you may want to consider tackling during this prime gardening month.

Lawns should be watered deeply and thoroughly once per week with about 1-inch of water. This promotes deep root systems, far better than the shallow roots encouraged by frequent light watering. When hot and dry, perhaps two thorough irrigations per week would be in order, depending on the turf’s drought resistance and the amount of direct sun it receives. This deep watering rule also applies to vegetable gardens, flowerbeds and plants in large pots.

Do not scalp your lawn! Raise the blade of your lawnmower one notch. The resulting longer blades of grass will keep the roots a little cooler and thus healthier. This is especially important in periods of extreme heat and drought. Your lawn will look more attractive, too.

Cuttings of many woody ornamentals may be rooted this month. These include azalea, abelia, camellia, forsythia, hydrangea, jasmine, mahonia, tea olive, plumbago, pyracantha, sweet shrub and others. To do this, collect cuttings 4 to 6 inches long from the current season’s growth. Remove the leaves from the lower half of each cutting and dip its base in a rooting hormone such as Rootone or Dip n’ Grow. Then insert the cutting up to the lower leaves in a mixture of sand and peat moss or a fine textured potting mix. Firm the soil around it and keep soil and leaves moist. Provide shade for several days. When cuttings are rooted, pot them in individual containers and move them to a place with indirect light.

Perennials that can be propagated now by stem cuttings include Dianthus plumarius, Monarda (Bee Balm), Phlox divaricata, Salvia x superba, Verbena tenuisecta and Veronica (Speedwell).

Now is a good time to divide perennials such as Lysimachia (Creeping Jenny) and Astilbe. A few blooms may be sacrificed for a season, but the plants will be fuller and more robust next year.

Daylilies are in the height of their glory now. Enjoy them to the fullest!

Deadhead roses as required this month. Keeping the old, faded flowers and hips (seed pods) picked off will help greatly in extending flower production through the summer. Light pruning also helps to shape plants to your liking and stimulates growth.

Last call for pruning azaleas! Remember, if you prune after about July 1, you will effectively destroy many of next spring’s flower buds.

Mulch flowers and vegetables with up to 4 inches of compost, pine straw, pine bark or other material. Mulching conserves moisture, controls weed growth, puts nutrients back into the soil and keeps the soil cooler.

Cut back garden chrysanthemums a few inches now and you will have bushier, more compact and more floriferous plants come September.

There is still time, if you hurry, to plant such garden favorites as lima beans, cantaloupes, sweet corn, okra, cowpeas, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and squash.

May you be blessed in your gardening efforts in the month of June!

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association certified plant professional, gardening writer, former Perry High School horticulture instructor and former horticulturalist at Henderson Village and Houston Springs. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery located on Highway 26, two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478) 954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.

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