June is a busy month in the northern flower garden. To have cutflowers for August and September cutting, sow larkspur, cosmos, annual chrysanthemums, babysbreath, giant zinnias, Phlox drummondi and annual black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta). If you want nice pot plants for Christmas, purchase small 3-inch pots of red salvia, set the plants where they will make good growth to provide September cuttings for rooting. Perennial seeds are best sown this month in the coldframe.
Dahlias, gladiolus, tritoma, tuberose, tigridia, gloriosa lily and Peruvian daffodil, set out now in a warm soil will start growth right away. Give them a good but not overly rich soil. The miniature gladiolus are excellent and take up less room than the large varieties.
Tritoma must be put in now; later plantings will not flower. Gladiolus seem to grow better planted at a 4 inch depth. Tuberose bulbs (which should be new, not old bulbs), are better just under the surface. Tuberous begonias started into growth some time ago can be planted out. You can also start more tuberous begonias now for later flowers.
The highly concentrated, soluble fertilizers now in use have changed the whole aspect of plant growing. When these fertilizers are used intelligently, the results can be extraordinary. Most of our soils are not unduly fertile. We also know that only a very small part of the nutrients present in the soil is in a form which can be absorbed by plant roots. Most plants need nutrients in quantity. Liquid feeding supplies the immediate needs of the plant because the materials are instantly available. However, success with liquid fertilizers depends upon using weak concentrations. You can do damage with a strong solution.
Crabgrass Starts To Germinate
This is the month when crabgrass starts to germinate. It will show up first in thin or hare spots on the lawn. Seed these to clover and perennial rye-grass. or to ryegrass alone. This germinates quickly in hot weather where regular lawn grasses fail and although it is a coarse grass and not permanent, it will crowd out crabgrass. Unless the grass is very thick and heavy, raise the blade of the lawn mower to keep the grass height at about two inches, Crabgrass does not like shade. If you succeed in shading out some of the young seedlings, you will help prevent it from getting a foothold.
Keep The Bulb Foliage
Never cut down bulb foliage while it is green. Bulbs can only renew themselves through their leaves, deprived of them they deteriorate. Hardy bulbs such as daffodils which are to be lifted this year should not be touched until the foliage turns yellow. The bulb growth is then complete. Don’t dry them in the sun after they are dug for they will turn soft. Dry them in a cool shady place. When dry, store the bulbs in a cool location like a basement until autumn. Young plants of cosmos, annual sunflower, salvia or zinnias, set among the daffodils, will take away the messy look of the leaves while they are maturing and, by the time the foliage is yellow, the annuals will have made considerable growth.
Pruning
Conifers can be pruned this month to shape them or to make them more dense. Shear, or cut the tips of pines and arborvitae. Don’t cut into the older growth. Hemlock and yew can be thickened by shearing the new young growth halfway back. In many cases the long pendant shoots of hemlock could he cut back even farther without damage.
Flowering shrubs would produce more flowers if pruned yearly. Cut back the older stems to force new flowering stems. Many shrubs are too tall anyway. Thin out the tops somewhat and let the sunlight through to the younger growth. If some of the stems are very old cut them back hard to force new vigorous growth. An application of a complete fertilizer, will improve shrub plantings, especially near the foundations of some homes where they rarely get a meal. The 10-6-4 fertilizer, 4 pounds per 100 square feet is a good formula for shrubs and hedges.
Chrysanthemums
Tip cuttings of chrysanthemums, 3 to 4 inches long, taken any time this month and rooted in moist sand, will provide nice flowering plants by fall. Read “This Year Grow Quality Mums.”
Bearded Iris Finish Blooming
Bearded iris varieties will soon be finished blooming. If you intend to revise your planting, study some of the newer varieties. There are some gems among them. If you can afford it, don’t deprive yourself of the pleasure of seeing them in your own garden.
Give some attention to the plants that have finished blooming and take steps to halt the iris borer before it starts. Once it progresses towards the rhizome (root) your chances of control diminish. Indications of borer are a sawtoothed effect on the young leaves down near their base and a slimy covering. You can pry the enemy out with the point of a knife. However, keep the spray going for awhile. There are sprays and dusts available which are combinations of fungicide and insecticide to use in controlling diseases and the borer.
Roses
Potted roses are easier to obtain each year so there is no excuse for bare patches in the rose planting. Usually, roses selected for potting are the better, more vigorous plants. When you plant them, however, it is advisable to remove the flowers. The transplanting, no matter how carefully it is done, is a check at this stage. To allow the plants to expend their energy on a few flowers is to defeat chances of a display of bloom for the rest of the summer. Subsequent growth will be better with these flowers removed. Then a program of watering and liquid feeding will produce results in a short time.
Resist the urge to cut roses with long stems, at least from plants set out in spring or even last fall. Removal of foliage will bring on disease through lowered resistance. In the heat of summer it would he better to continue to remove buds and prevent flowering. You’ll be repaid in the fall with better blooms and more healthy plants. And they’ll last longer, too.
Pest Control
We cannot ignore the pests that damage or even kill plants. Destroy all plants that are infested, if spraying will not give control. Destroy all trash, infected leaves, stems and roots. Sanitary measures of this kind will do much to eliminate infestation at its source. Besides, they’re much cheaper and sometimes more effective than the use of sprays and dusts.
by P McCain
