by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener
June is considered perennial month in the mountains of Arizona. This is the top time to find big, bold perennials at the garden center. These are the flowers that come back bigger and better every year. The selection is better, and all bloom as we head into summer warmth.
Gardens come alive with summer flowers like Blue Russian Sage, Purple Salvia, and Royal Red Butterfly Bush. Ornamental grasses begin their summer plumbs that dance in the afternoon breeze. Mountain weather is so mild we efficiently garden with summer success and the best month to plant perennial flowers.
The secret to June’s success is in irrigation. Water new trees and shrubs twice weekly, while established plants need water only once weekly. Proper irrigation is a deep soak, but infrequently. Let drip irrigation run for 2+ hours for healthier hydrated plants. Ask for Watters free water guide when you visit next.
This is the ideal month to sow seed for late cabbage, bush beans, black-eyed peas, cucumbers, and summer squash in the vegetable garden. It’s time to plant June corn and pinto beans for harvest in late summer and Autumn.
Check shrubs like juniper, spruce, and pyracantha for webbing associated with spider mites. Watch for grasshoppers, blister beetle, and caterpillars. Watters ‘Cyonara Spray‘ cleans up gardens at the first sign of bug damage. This simple spray wipes out insects while cleaning up the landscape.
Keep your gardens up to date by subscribing to my daily Podcast ‘Top 10 Gardens‘ wherever you listen to your favorite casts.
Top 10 June Garden Tasks
*Water trees and shrubs 1x per week, new plants 2x weekly.
*Plant summer-blooming Hibiscus, Roses, Sages, Crape Myrtle, Dahlia, and tall Grasses.
*Ideal month to sow cabbage, bush beans, peas, cucumber, and summer squash.
*Give the compost a turn.
*Give your houseplants a summer vacation outdoors.
*Make sure the birds have fresh water.
Top 10 Vegetables
*Stop harvesting Asparagus and Rhubarb.
*Replace cool-season veggies like spinach and broccoli when they begin to bolt in June.
*Plant all remaining warm-season vegetables in the ground ASAP!
*Plant a new batch of bush beans every 2 weeks.
*Keep tomato plants staked as they grow. Pinch out suckers.
*Put a couple of drops of mineral oil on corn silks within a week after they appear to prevent corn earworms.
Top 10 Trees & Shrubs
*June Drop of fruit from fruit trees. They’re just thinning to a manageable crop size. Clean up any fallen fruit.
*Protect berries from birds with nets or row covers.
*Prune/Shape your evergreens as the new growth turns a darker green.
*Wisteria should be pruned after bloom to keep the vine groomed and manageable.
Top 10 Plants in Bloom
*Flowers in bloom are Red Hot Poker, Iris, Gaura, Coreopsis, and Blanket Flower
*Native red Yucca, Cliff Rose, Apache plume
*Shrubs like Crape Myrtle, Rose of Sharon, Butterfly Bush, and Potentilla show off.
Trees in bloom are Purple Robe Locust and Golden Raintree.
*Keep up on deadheading for long season bloom
Top 10 Pest Controls
*Watch the webbing of Spider Mites
*Grasshoppers, Blister Beetle, and Caterpillars.
*Elm & Grape leaf skeletonizer
*Clean up insects with ‘Cyonara Spray.’
Free Garden Classes offered by Watters Garden Center
We go deep into growing better. Check out this spring’s class selection offered every Saturday @ 9:30 am.
June 10 – Growing Better Grapes & Berries
June 17 – Perennial Plants that Thrive in Heat
June 24 – Best Mountain Fruit Trees and How to Plant Them Now
July 8 – Gardening for Newcomers
Until next week, I’ll be helping locals’ plant beautiful June gardens here at Watters Garden Center.
Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.