Prepare gardens in June for summer of blooms

Tomorrow June begins, so it's time to start thinking about what needs to be done in our gardens this sixth month of the year. Take a few minutes to get your chores lined up and make a list of those items you'll need.

There are a number of plants that can be added to your garden in June. If we don't have rain, whatever plant material you add now will require almost daily watering for a couple of weeks. If you want some annual color, add amaranthus, cleome, coleus, crossandra, impatiens, marigold, zinnia, ornamental pepper, portulaca, red salvia, vinca or wax begonia. The perennial list includes coreopsis, daisy bush, day lily, gaillardia, gazania, gerbera, golden shrimp plant, lantana, mallow, pentas, ruellia, salvias, shasta daisy, Stokes aster and verbena.

There are a few vegetables you'll want to try, including okra, Southern peas (from seed), sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplant and peppers (from plants). The following herb plants will also do well: basil, borage, catnip, ginger, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, summer savory and thyme.

Gardeners often neglect planting any bulbs in this area but there are a number that do very well and add another dimension to your garden. Try aztec lily, butterfly lily, crinum, gladiolus, moraea, society garlic, spider lily and walking iris.

If you're planting any new additions to your garden now, whether it's plants or seeds, water is an issue. You'll have to keep the newcomers watered until well established or until the rainy season starts. Use your hose (or hopefully water from your rain barrel), making sure you follow water restrictions. I'll be gone for a few weeks in June and July so I'm not adding any thing new to the yard until I return. My family members have enough to look after while I'm gone! I will weed well and heavily mulch before I leave and do my summer planting when I return.

Here's a list of chores that may need to done in your garden to keep it in top shape:

Fertilize citrus trees if you did not in May. Mature trees (planted three years or more) should receive 1 pound of fertilizer per year of age. Use a citrus special fertilizer or a balanced fertilizer containing magnesium and micro-nutrients. The amount should never exceed 10 pounds. Young trees (under three years of age) should be fertilized every six months, one pound per application.

Correct palm deficiencies. Queen palm, paurotis palm and King Sago frequently develop manganese deficiencies. Look for yellow, brown or distorted growth on new emerging leaves. Foliar sprays of manganese sulfate (not to be confused with magnesium sulfate) at a rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon of water along with 1 pound of manganese sulfate applied to soil will correct this deficiency on the next flush of growth.

Start cuttings. Take 4- to 6-inch cuttings of tip growth. Dip cut ends in rooting hormone and stick cuttings in a sterile soil mix. Water and cover soil and cuttings with a clear plastic bag. Place in strong, indirect light. Be brave. Try everything in your garden. You might be surprised with your successes. It's possible to start cutting almost year around in this area. I plan on making copious amounts of cuttings the end of July to share with a fellow gardener who is renovating his space.

Irrigate according to the needs of plants. Given the drought, most of our plants don't have a chance of being over watered. This is a good time to understand how little supplemental water some plants need to survive. I'm hoping that the rainy season will begin soon and when it does a rain shutoff device will override an automatic irrigation system in the event of rain and cut down on unnecessary irrigation. These gadgets, available at irrigation supply stores, are inexpensive and easy to install.

Inspect lawns for insect pests. Some homeowners are mistaking insect damage for drought damage. Mix 1 fluid ounce of dishwashing liquid in a 2-gallon sprinkling can of water and drench 4 square feet of lawn with this solution. Observe for two minutes. Pests will emerge to the grass surface and can de detected. If you have pests treat accordingly. Diazinon sprays or Dursban bait are effective against mole crickets this time of the year. For chinch bugs, spot treat affected areas with insecticides labeled for chinch bugs. To protect beneficial insects which feed on chinch bugs, spot treat affected areas and a 10-foot buffer around them rather than spraying the entire lawn.

Slugs and snails have been a huge problem in my yard this spring and summer. I have resorted to bait and jar lids full of beer. I just need to watch the dogs when they are in the yard.

Light pruning may be necessary to shape plants and encourage branching. Never remove more than one-third of the plant's foliage at a time. Prune your azaleas now. If you wait much longer you, may remove the buds for next year's flowers.

Spray roses to control black spot disease. Symptoms of this disease are dark, round spots with yellow halos. Use a fungicide labeled for treatment of black spot on roses following directions carefully. My miniature roses have been trouble-free. I removed the spent flowers and fertilize once a month. They haven't required any spraying.

Transplant palm trees. Palm roots grow when the soil is moist and warm, so palm establishment is most successful during summer. Never allow soil to dry out during the first several months. Apply a 3- to 4-inch mulch.

Mow grass frequently. Mow often enough so that no more than one-third the blade height is removed per mowing. Leave clippings on the lawn to recycle nutrients or use collected clippings as mulch or compost material.

Finally, remember to keep the weeds under control. They seem to have no problem thriving in this hot, dry weather. Visit your garden on a daily basis to see what needs to be done. Then chores won't get to be overwhelming and you can enjoy the rewards of your labor.

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