June/July 2007 Garden Tips

• A new layer of mulch or landscape rock will give your yard and gardens a fresh look for the summer.

• If you are mowing on a regular schedule, there is no need to bag grass clippings. They do not add to the thatch layer as commonly believed, and they will add nutrients to the soil as they decay. Be careful not to allow clippings to get into street gutters and storm sewers.

• Finish pruning spring-flowering shrubs in early June. This gives the plants plenty of time to develop flower buds for next spring’s display.

• When your pond water reaches 70 degrees, it is time to add tropical water lilies, marginal plants, floating water hyacinths, or water lettuce.

• Enhance morning or evening relaxation next to your water garden with added color. Tropical night-blooming water lilies actually bloom starting at dusk through the mid-morning hours and come in a variety of colors.

• Established trees need little watering—water every two weeks during dry periods.

• If possible, do not use overhead sprinklers to water gardens, especially late in the day. Tomatoes and roses are especially prone to disease if their leaves are wet at night.

• Remove the flowers on annuals (“deadheading”) as they fade. Pinch or cut the flowering stem back to the first set of leaves or flower buds. Use a knife or garden shears to make a clean cut. This improves the plant’s appearance and encourages continual bloom.

• Dig and divide overgrown perennials. Dig a hole slightly larger than the plant. Lift the plant out of the hole. Cut it into several smaller pieces. Replant one of the divisions in the original hole and use the other pieces to fill in voids, start new gardens, or share with friends. Amend the soil with organic matter before planting.

• Apply slow-release fertilizer in midsummer to provide good plant performance until frost.

• Plan a trip to see native lady slipper orchids in bloom. The yellow varieties start flowering about June 10; Minnesota’s state flower, the showy lady slipper, usually begins to bloom around the Fourth of July.

Web-exclusive Tips:

• Remove the mulch from your hardy lady slipper orchids when night temperatures start staying at 50 degrees.

• Plant marigolds, sunflowers, asters, columbine, and coneflowers to attract birds.

• Mulch your garden after the soil has warmed up later in June.

• Mulch tomato plants, as they need consistent moisture to do well. Begin leaf-spot control on tomato plants and stake young tomato plants; late staking contributes to blossom end rot.

• Not all annuals need deadheading, however: Ageratums, Cleomes, Gomphrenas, Impatiens, narrowleaf zinnias, New Guinea impatiens, wax begonias, and Pentas are self-cleaning. These drop their dead blooms and do not need deadheading.

• Prune and shape new growth on arborvitae, junipers, and yews. The new growth will generally emerge a lighter green; trim this back a third or more for shearing. Be careful of more dramatic pruning—it will generally grow back, but it may take a long time.

• Prune your pines, spruce, and fir trees in June. These trees will send out new growth called candles; trim them back by one third to help maintain the tree’s present size. These species usually do not require pruning unless their space is limited.

• June is a good time to fertilize your azaleas and rhododendrons. After they flower, prepare them for the upcoming season of vegetative growth.

• It is time to start fertilizing your hostas. Do monthly feedings with a 10-10-10 granular fertilizer around only the outside of the plant. One way to avoid getting the fertilizer into the middle of the plants that are sprouting, and to avoid stepping on new eyes, is to cover the plant with an inverted flowerpot while distributing the fertilizer.

• Fertilize trees and shrubs before the Fourth of July.

• Do last picking of rhubarb at the end of June to allow roots to store energy for next season.

Extra Pond Tips for Summer

• Use floating plants and water lilies to cover at least 40 percent of the water surface of your pond to help eliminate algae.

• Continue regular fertilization of all your water lilies and lotus plants in your water garden or bog. These plants require lots of energy to be consistent bloomers.

• If green water plagued your pond last summer, add bog plants to your streambed or reservoir now. Leafy plants with lots of stems and roots provide your best water filtration. A bog area between 10 and 25 percent of the surface area of the pond you want to keep clean will do the trick.

• If your water lilies have outgrown their pots, consider repotting in a wider container or splitting the plant. Whenever possible, enlarge the container to enable the plant to be lush with leaves and many blooms. Shallow, round containers are best.

Resources

Dundee Nursery & Floral
952-894-8740

Klein Landscaping & Nursery
320-255-1832

TerraVista Landscaping
612-788-7500

Vermillion Waters
651-480-1986

Villa Landscapes
Burnsville
952-894-1553
Maple Grove
763-425-9277
Oakdale
651-773-7440

Winsome Orchids
763-972-9708

11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)

Only $9.95!

Less than $1 an issue.
77% off newsstand price.
Includes annual HomeBook.

Everything Home. Everything Local.

You can also add Minnesota Monthly
(12 issues a year) for just $13 more.

Here you will find the premier businesses and service providers in Minnesota. These businesses have been carefully selected to represent the very best Minnesota has to offer, along with topical articles, reviews and events.