June 2025 - In the Garden

‘In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes and every sunset is different.’  John Steinbeck.

Don’t you wish every month was June? It’s a month of new beginnings; new projects, new gardens, new plants. It is also the beginning of summer. The Summer Solstice is celebrated on June 20, 2025 and is the longest day of the year.

Here are some important garden tasks, tips and information for the month of June!

The beginning of June is the time to plant just about everything!  Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, herbs and of course the extremely important vegetable garden. Transplants lovingly started indoors must be hardened off gradually for a week before planting out permanently.

June can be wet, June can be dry and most often a mixture of both.  Do check the soil’s moisture before watering your trees, shrubs and perennials. Stick your index finger in the soil.  If it is dry 2.5 to 5 cm down, it is time to water. Trees and shrubs need a good deep watering to start the month off right. Deep watering means watering once around the drip line or closer to the trunk for new plantings, waiting for the soil to absorb the water, watering again and repeat a third time. When the soil is slowly absorbing the water, you have probably deep watered enough. This method of watering gives the whole root ball a really good drink and allows more time between waterings.

Container plantings and hanging baskets need special attention now and through the summer. Know your plants watering requirements and check daily for water needs. When needed, water until you can see the water coming out the drain holes in the bottom of the pot. Then water again. On very hot days in summer you may have to water twice a day. Add a pinch or two of water soluble flowering plant fertilizer to your watering cans to keep your plants well fed. Be careful not to over-fertilize. Less is more.

There is still lots of time to transplant houseplants in early to mid- June. To avoid a mess in the house, transplant and water them outdoors. Do not leave them in full sun to dry as most houseplants will burn and this can be a real shock to their system. If you are placing houseplants outdoors for the summer, do harden them off for a week in a partly shaded, wind protected area of the yard.

Remember to fertilize your houseplants during June, July and up until August 15.

Fertilize and Feed  This includes all your permanent plants; trees, shrubs, perennials and of course, the lawn. Important rules to follow – do not over fertilize – follow the directions. And do not fill your lawn fertilizer spreader on the lawn. Lay down some plastic on the driveway, fill your spreader over the plastic and if you have an accidental spill, the extra fertilizer can go in the compost. If you are using weed and feed lawn fertilizer, do not add extra to the compost.

Keep an eye out for pests – Inspect your plants regularly. If you see one pest, check for more but do not bring out the insecticides to get rid of one or two bugs. Keep an ice cream bucket of soapy water with you when inspecting. Make sure the bugs are bad bugs and throw them in your bucket. Learn to identify the adult and hungry larval form of the bad bugs in your area. The tech world is making bug identification easier than it ever has been before. If you do need to ward off an infestation, remember there are natural insecticides like insecticidal soap or neem oil.

Stake and support your climbing plants while they are little. We’ve all been there before. Saying ‘I'll stake the delphiniums or cage the tomatoes another day’ often leads to a wrestling match with a five foot tall plant and an un-co-operative cage. You don’t need the aggravation!

Weed as you work –a task no one likes to do, but if you weed as you work around the yard, becomes a smaller chore. Weed after watering or rain. The roots pull out easier. And please; do not compost weeds!

Mosquitoes – Yes, the ‘M’ word. Regarding health concerns, it is more important than ever to keep mosquitoes out of the garden.   There are so many mosquito deterrents – most of them based on certain smells they cannot stand. Here are just a few! Lavender, citronella, rosemary, lemon balm, coffee grounds, catnip, eucalyptus, peppermint and marigolds. Kill the larvae before they hatch in standing water and ponds by adding Mosquito Dunks. The beauty of Mosquito Dunks is that they are safe to use around humans, animals, birds and fish. Start early in spring to place the dunks in areas that have standing water. Replace every month. With repeated use, mosquito dunks soaked in water will kill fungus gnats in houseplant soil. Let the dunks sit in the water for a day before use.

Mulch with a shallow layer of compost around perennials – Keep the compost back from the crowns or growing points of the plants. Do not rake it in to avoid damaging shallow feeder roots. Summer rains or watering will take the nutrients down to the root system where they are needed.

Pruning Evergreens – Prune evergreens when the new soft growth is still tender and fully extended. Pinch or prune back no more than half the new growth. Never cut evergreens back into old wood unless the branches are dead or damaged. Most evergreens cannot regenerate from old wood.

If you are planting lupine or morning glory seeds directly into the garden, nick each seed with a pair of nail clippers. This method speeds up germination. Put the seeds on a lightly dampened paper towel, fold the towel over and place inside a Zip-lock bag for a day or two before planting.

When planting trees and shrubs, do not mound the backfill soil up around the trunks of the trees or main growth point of the shrubs.  If you do, repeated watering throughout the summer will cause bark rot and eventual death.

Do not fertilize new garden or container transplants right after transplanting. Fertilizer can be too strong for new roots and cause plant death. Give them time to settle in (establish) for about two weeks then make the first fertilization at half the recommended strength. Full strength fertilization can begin a couple of weeks after that.

Plant up extra flowering annual pots to use as ‘fillers’ if a few border plants don’t make it. You can bury the pots in the border creating instant color! This is an especially helpful hint if you are planning an outdoor wedding. Always have a plan ‘B’!

When you are building a new pond, choose the location carefully.  Positioning it in full sun will encourage algae growth. If possible, place it in a lightly shaded area. After introducing some plants to the pond wait three weeks for the water and plants to settle in before introducing fish.

While we are encouraging pollinators to our garden, consider adding a bat house. Bats eat half their weight in insects each night!  Spiders also eat an amazing amount of insects.

Have a wonderful June out in the garden!