June 2021 Gardening Tips

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Dear Gardening Friends,   Hard to believe it’s June but here we go!   Thanks to so many of you who came to my plant sale. It was such fun to see everyone, and it was a perfect day after a very hot week. The weather continues to be challenging. Looks like we’re in for more high heat and dry weather. Because of the forecast I have stopped dividing and moving pants except for ones located in the shade. It’s just too stressful on them. Planting potted plants from a nursery is still OK. You often read about shading newly planted plants or waiting to plant for a cloudy day with rain forecasted but that’s been tough lately. A way to improve success is to cover the plant with a box or bushel basket for 2-3 days depending on how sunny/cloudy it is. An old umbrella put at the right angle works as well. This is the first year I’ve done this, and the results are amazing. Bushel Baskets or cardboard boxes work well as they don’t hold in the heat as much as a plastic tote would. If you do divide or plant a perennial, it’s best to cut off any blooms. This gives the plant energy to set in roots as opposed to trying to keep flowers going. Pinch back perennials that get very tall to reduce the final height and promote branching and increase bloom. Common plants for this are phlox, asters, mums and sedum. Watch out for slugs and snails. There are many products on the market that are not toxic, yet effective at getting rid of slugs and snails. I hand pick everyone I see but with gloves or a paper towel. The slug slime is extremely difficult to wash off your hands. I can attest to this firsthand! Once you make that mistake you won’t do it again. Be alert for any insect issues you have had in the past. As soon as you notice damage, take action. Identify what the insect is and research the best and most ecological way to deal with it. It’s much easier to control at the onset than once a lot of damage is done. I’ve been hearing a lot about aphid invasions. Luckily, they are easily taken care of. Wait a few days and see if ladybugs and other insects that eat aphids come and take care of them. If not squirt them with a strong hose nozzle and that will knock most of them off and kill them. You will need to repeat this every few days. If that doesn’t take care of it put a squirt of Dawn in a spray bottle and spray the little buggers. This combination has always worked for me.  Any newly planted or moved plants should be watered almost daily depending on how much sun they are in. It’s best to water them before they get droopy as drying out saps their strength and makes them weak. Early morning or evening are the best times to water. Once their roots are well established, they will be more tolerant of dry periods. Weeding is a huge priority. Don’t let them get ahead of you. Once they are well established weeds are much more difficult to remove and they drop seeds to make more weeds for you to deal with. Once you weed, a good layer of mulch will help hold down the weeds and keep moisture from evaporating as quickly. The deer tick population is increasing as has the incidence of Lymes disease. People are finding them in their gardens. Wherever there are deer and black footed mice there is a chance of ticks. For complete information and suggestions check out the Department of Health in Erie County’s website: http://www2.erie.gov/health/index.php?q=ticks-lyme-disease. It has a video of how to remove a tick and info on how to prevent as well as identify.   I’m happy to say we are starting up classes for making hypertufa planters and concrete birdbaths, stepping stones, and draped concrete containers. The cost is $30 and you get to make 2. If interested contact me and we can work out a convenient time.   Now is the time you may be having problems or questions about your garden. Don’t forget to contact me for a garden consult. I can answer your questions and help improve your garden and gardening practices Which will save you time ad money.     Happy Gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 lyn@lessonsfromnature.biz 652-2432 Copyright © 2014 Lessons From Nature, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*