Another perennial garden beauty, the peony, is
hitting its stride this week. Peonies are long-lived
perennials known for their easy culture and
hardiness. They are available in all shades of
pink, red and white and a variety of flower types.
The bloom season for peonies ranges over a
period of 4-5 weeks. Early blooming varieties start in late May, mid-season varieties in early June and late season peonies bloom in the last part of June. Select a sunny spot with rich, well-drained soil. They will tolerate clay-type soils, but mix in some compost at planting time to help loosen the soil. Space plants about 2-3 feet apart so they get good light and air circulation. When planting a potted peony, plant them at the same level it was growing in the container. Place a peony hoop around the plant at planting time to support the stems. Remove flowers when they fade.
In the fall, peony foliage turns golden yellow bringing some color to the fall garden. Leave the foliage until it naturally withers, then cut it back to the ground. Generally trouble-free, most problems with peonies are due to being planted too deep, over-fertilization, or too much shade. Rainy or humid weather can cause some disease problems, but fungicides and
good garden sanitation practices will keep these problems in check.
Common Garden Insects for June
It’s the time of year for some of our annual insect pests to make their first and only appearance of the season. Spittlebugs and four-lined plant bugs are around for about a month, typically showing up in late May and gone by late June. Both are common in the June garden and are more of a nuisance than a serious pest. The insects have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed on the juices of the plants. Spittlebugs feed mostly on perennials and on a few shrubs (especially dogwood). The bug, the nymph stage of the froghopper, is found inside the mass of white foam along the stems. They don’t do much damage, but can cause some wilting and are unsightly. Because it is hard to penetrate the foam with an insecticide, the simplest way to deal with spittlebugs is to crush them or rinse them off with a hard spray of water. Since they rarely cause injury to the plants, treatment with an insecticide is not necessary.
Four-lined plant bugs are a little trickier to spot because they are fast and secretive. The immature bugs (nymphs) are red and the mature bugs are greenish-yellow with four black stripes. You may not actually see them, but their damage is distinctive. Look for pinhead-size brown or black spots on the surface of leaves. The spots are typically on the newest foliage nearest the stem end of the leaf and are clustered together. Four-lined plant bugs target a variety of perennials and annuals. Most often, we see the damage on geraniums, shasta daisies, chrysanthemums, basil, mints, and some shrubs such as dogwood and viburnum. This is another one of those insects whose damage is primarily cosmetic and many gardeners choose to ignore them. If you choose to treat, use an insecticide dust or spray such as Bonide Eight. Check the label to make sure the plant you wish to treat is listed on the label.
The Benefits of Organic Mulch
When referring to mulch, organic means those that are made of plant
material. Some of the materials most commonly used for mulch are compost, grass clippings, shredded leaves, hay, straw, shredded wood, bark chips, and pine needles. Mulch can be a great help for our trees, shrubs and garden plants especially when we have a month as dry as this past May. Mulch is attractive and helps showcase our plants; it also helps conserve moisture and suppress weed germination. Organic mulches can add nutrients and humus to the soil. Mulch can help stabilize soil, preventing erosion. You can minimize the spread
of soil-borne diseases by mulching, which prevents splashing of soil up ontoplant foliage. An adequate layer of organic mulch will also keep the soil
temperatures more even.
While no single type of mulch is best for all
situations, there is a mulch available for each of our garden and landscape needs. For annuals and vegetables, a layer of mulch should be about 2” thick. Use shredded leaves, grass clippings from untreated lawns, or partially
decomposed compost. Work these into the soil at the end of the growing season. For perennials, a mulch layer of 2-3” is usually adequate. Partially decomposed compost and shredded bark both work well. Trees and shrubs will benefit from 3-4” layer of shredded bark or wood chip mulch. Be sure to leave a gap of a
few inches between the trunk or stems of the plant and the mulch. This will allow for better air circulation and lessen the chances of insect and disease problems. Whatever mulch you choose, remember that organic mulches
decompose over time and you will need to replenish them every couple of
years or so. See our care sheets Understanding Mulches, Mulches and
Weed Barriers, and Landscape Mulch for additional information.
Houseplants for Outside
Once our temperatures stay above 50 degrees at night, many of our
houseplants can stay outside for the summer. A couple of favorites for the
great outdoors are the Croton and the Kimberly Queen fern. Crotons have a
bold and bright tropical feel with their large, multi-colored leaves of red, orange, yellow and green. These bushy plants will provide season long color for the front steps, patio or balcony. The Kimberly Queen fern is another terrific choice for outside. It has a more upright habit and neater appearance than its cousin the Boston fern. Unlike many ferns, this one thrives in sunny locations when given adequate watering. It looks great in shadier locations too. Keep both plants healthy and vigorous with regular watering and fertilizing throughout the
summer. Foliage plants like the crotons and ferns love being fed with a fish emulsion fertilizer such as Bonide Fish Emulsion every couple of weeks. And don’t forget about other great houseplants for outside such as ivies, spider plants, bromeliads, palms and citrus. All of these enjoy the summer
outdoors and make a great addition to our container gardens.
Garden Tips for Early June
There is still time to plant warm season vegetables like
peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and more. Add
another row of garden beans too.
Remove dead flowers (deadheading) from annuals to
encourage better branching and more flowers in the future.
Fertilize spring flowering bulbs as the foliage fades. Allow the foliage to yellow before removal. This will help your bulbs stay strong and bloom nicely next year.
Begin a disease prevention program for roses to control fungal diseases like black spot and mildew. Spraying before you see symptoms is a more effective method of disease control than waiting until symptoms appear.
Prune dead flower clusters from lilacs. Prune branches back if you need to control the height or width of the plant. Next year’s flower buds start to develop in mid to late summer, so don’t delay!
Prune out the winter killed branches of arborvitae, junipers and yews. Now
that new growth is emerging it should be easier to tell what was just tip
burn and what is a dead branch.
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If you’re sending flowers or gifts out of town, you can rely on us to choose the best florist from either the FTD or Teleflora nationwide flower network. Florists who can be counted on to deliver the best fresh floral arrangements and gifts, even when doing a same day delivery.
