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Do This Don’t Do That

   Written by on June 23, 2016 at 2:19 pm

logo - walk in gardenI ‘spose the most often uttered phrase in the month of June is “I do.”  In the garden, there are lots of times when “I don’t” is more appropriate.

Don’t mean to be negative, just cautious.  Here goes.

Don’t plant B&B (that’s when the roots are dug and shaped into a ball and then wrapped with burlap – not a bed and breakfast) and container-grown trees, shrubs and vines in June. This month is hot and planting a shade tree is very enticing. Just as you swelter in the heat, so will a young tree. Besides, it’s not going to do much to shade you this summer. Wait till fall.

Don’t prune mature trees in June. Grooming is always appropriate, however, and if there is a broken branch, remove it with a clean cut.

Don’t pile mulch up against the trunks of trees. During times of drought, a good mulching will help conserve moisture, but strangling the trunk will invite disease.

Don’t damage the bark of trees with the weedeater or by running the mower into them. Even the smallest nick will provide an entrance for insects. This caution includes native trees as well as the ones you planted.

Don’t leave undeveloped fruit on your trees.  Remove it when it becomes apparent that it is not going to ripen.  Leaving fruit to rot on the tree is an open invitation to insects and diseases.

Don’t wet the foliage of roses as you supplement a less than adequate rainfall in June. Blackspot and fungus will quickly take hold on wet foliage in the cool of a summer evening.

Don’t leave dead or dying stems on a rose because whatever killed it in the first place will quickly spread to healthy canes. Also remove weak, broken and spindly shoots.

Don’t throw away those grass clippings. After drying, it makes excellent mulch for summer-blooming annuals to help conserve moisture.

Now, to brighter, happier do’s:

Do remove spent or dying blooms from roses and other flowering plants.  If left to go to seed, stem growth and new flower formation will be retarded. Clip above a five-leaflet set on roses.

Do begin pinching emerging chrysanthemums and dahlias. When the plant reaches six inches in height, firmly pinch and remove the bud at the top of the main shoot just above the highest mature leaf. This practice encourages the plant to grow side shoots outward and upward giving you a bushier plant. Stop pinching after July 1st so that bud formation will not be interrupted.

Do continue planting summer-flowering bulbs, corms, tubers and roots like gladiolus, dahlia and canna.

Do cut back foliage of daffodils, hyacinths and tulips now that it has turned yellow.  Cutting back green foliage reduces the bulb’s stored food and will result in smaller flowers next year.

Do think about slugs and snails while you’re resting with a cold beer in the June heat.  Save a little and pour it into shallow pans to attract those slimy things away from your succulent plants.

Enjoy the summer!

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