Trish Hoff
Zones 4 to 8
June is the month for roses. Roses have been prized and cultivated around the world for centuries. With so many types, sizes and colours, it is hard to imagine any garden without at least one favourite. Despite the finicky reputation of some older roses, the species and modern roses that have been bred for disease resistance are also drought tolerant, low maintenance, and most have continuous summer blooms.
Rose Care:
Remove faded blooms from repeat blooming roses. Cut the stems back to a healthy outward pointing bud. A new blossom should develop within six weeks. Later in the season you may stop removing the faded flowers to allow colourful hips to develop for fall and winter colour.
Check roses for signs of black spot; pick off and destroy diseased leaves. Spray with baking soda solution if necessary. Watch for outbreaks of aphids and other pests. Blast aphid colonies with hose water early in the day so foliage dries before night. Allow beneficial insects to reside in your garden to keep insect populations and rose pests in check (i.e. do not try to wipe out insects with non-selective insecticides).
Remove moisture-robbing weeds from your rose beds and borders. Once free of weeds add 8 to 10cm of compost mulch to suppress new weed growth and slow water evaporation.
Seaweed fertiliser sprayed on the foliage every two weeks helps feed the roses and keep black spot and mildew at bay.
Annuals:
Finish planting-out bedding plants. Water well and fertilize every two weeks. Feed and water containers and hanging baskets regularly. Moisture-holding polymer crystals may be added to the soil prevent baskets and containers from drying out too quickly. Remove faded flowers to encourage further flowering.
Bulbs:
Fertilise bulbs that have finished flowering. Remove the foliage that has turned yellow. Plant out tender summer flowering bulbs such as cannas, gladiolus and dahlias if you did not do so in May.
Perennials:
Stake tall plants that will fall over in wind or heavy rains. Deadhead any that rebloom if they are not self cleaning. Sow perennials and biennials (columbine, echinacea, delphinium, oriental poppies, lupine, foxglove and campanulas) for next season. Plant new perennials on a cool, shady day or provide a shade cover to reduce transplant shock and water thoroughly.
Keep on top of weed removal.
Lawn:
Mow weekly leaving it 6cm high. Lawns will survive drought better if the roots grow deep. Encourage this by watering in the morning giving them 2.5 cm of water once a week. Check to make sure that your watering system is watering only areas needing water. Remember that brown lawns will green up as soon as the rains return.
Trees and shrubs:
Prune spring-flowering deciduous shrubs (lilacs, weigelias and mock orange) as soon as they have finished flowering; then fertilise. In general flowering shrubs that bloom before the end of June or are shrubs bred to reflower should be pruned as they finish flowering. Later summer and autumn flowering shrubs should be pruned in late winter/early spring.
Clip hedges (watch for nesting birds) and keep newly planted hedges, trees and shrubs well watered. Plant new trees. Take note of their mature height and spread and place them where they will have plenty of room to grow. You can fill in temporary empty spaces with less expensive annuals and perennials until the tree can fill its space. Water newly planted trees and shrubs weekly for the first growing season (depending on local rainfall).
Fruits and Vegetables:
Plant out tomatoes and squashes that have been started indoors. Thin tree fruits after the June drop is complete. Start second crops of lettuce and salad greens as the first crops are harvested. Install trellises, netting or poles for tall-growing peas and beans.
House Plants
Most houseplants can go outside for the summer. Keep them in the shade and in a warm, sheltered spot until they acclimatise to the outdoor temperatures and light levels.