JUNE CHECKLIST

Summer is in full swing. Flowers are abundant, strawberries are starting to appear, hot weather veggie starts (basil, squash, cucumbers) are in and are starting to sell out. We bet that you are starting to think about vacations, but before you do, think about how you are going to take care of your plants. It might not be a bad time to bribe your neighbor.

Here's a checklist:

Around the home

• June is National Pollinator Month. Plant flowers that attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. Ask for our list.
• Fertilize! Feed hanging baskets and summer flowers to push a fresh flush of color.
• Spend some time removing dead flowers from your hanging baskets and containers, to promote further blooming.
• Now that your plants are pushing delicious leafy greens and flowers, your garden is like a buffet for slugs, deer, and other critters. Bait for slugs and protect plants from deer.
• Keep your blooms coming by removing spent blooms. Removing spent blooms forces your plants to devote energy into creating more blooms.
• Fertilize camellias and rhododendrons as soon as they finish blooming. "Deadhead" your rhododendrons.
• Work on a watering strategy. Mulch to conserve soil moisture, try drip irrigation, use soaker hoses.

Edible gardening

• Warm season veggies are in stock. Plant basil, beans, corn, cucumbers, and squash, including zucchini and pumpkins.
• Tomatoes are starting to run low. Get your tomatoes and peppers while you can.
• Plant everything else: herbs, greens, etc. etc.
• Plant strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and other fruiting plants and trees. We still have Marshall strawberries in stock.
• Thin fruit trees to improve your crop.
• Water, water, water.

Lawn care

• Feed, overseed, aerate.
• It's okay to mow (we suspect that you already are mowing).
• Remove dandelions before they seed. You know what the best remedy for dandelions and weeds are? More grass! Reseeding, fertilizing, and keeping your lawn healthy creates an environment that doesn't give dandelions much room to grow.
• Focus on deep, slow, infrequent watering. Deep watering encourages deep root growth.

Indoor plants

• Now that there's more sunlight, your plants will start growing again. It's okay to fertilize them again.
• And now that your plants are growing, it's a good time to see if they are outgrowing their pots and need repotting. Although you can repot your plants yourself, you can also have us repot them for you. We will charge for materials and labor (typically around $5-10 for small jobs, plus the pot price) or you can come in during our Houseplant Clinic, and we will help you out. The next Houseplant Clinic is Jun 7.)
• If you are moving your houseplants outside for the summer, this is a good time to acclimate them by moving them to a shady (but warm) spot for about a week, then move them slowly into sunnier areas for about a week. Watch the weather forecasts. If the temps dip below 50F, move your plants back to a warmer spot.