THE GARDEN WEBSITE.COM
  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Blog
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Grub Control
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
  • Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Amanda's Garden Blog
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Hardening Off Plants
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Soil pH
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Fall Veggie Garden Clean-up
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Raspberries
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Cloches
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Critters in the Garden
    • Black Sooty Mould
    • Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
    • Christmas Wreaths
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Azaleas, Deciduous
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Catalpas
    • Chinese Windmill Palm
    • Columbine
    • Chrysanthemums
    • Crocuses
    • Dahlias
    • Dawn Redwood
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Doghobble, Leucothoe
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Elderberries, Sambucus
    • Evergreen Clematis
    • English Daisies
    • Fawn Lilies, Erythroniums
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Hardy Fuchsia
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Heavenly Bamboo
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Hydrangeas, Mophead & Lacecap
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Snowbell
    • Japanese Spirea
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Kale, ornamental
    • Katsura Trees
    • Kousa Dogwood
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pearl Bush
    • Persian Ironwood
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Photinia, Fraser
    • Poinsettias
    • Primroses
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Saucer Magnolia
    • Shrubby Cinquefoil
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Solomon's Seal
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Variegated Wintercreeper
    • Viburnum, Pink Dawn Bodnant
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Winter Daphne
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tours & Such
    • NW Horticultural Society July Garden Tour 2024
    • Burnaby in Blooms
    • Burnaby's Century Gardens
    • South Delta Garden Club Tour 2023
    • Garden Club Events
  • Website Index
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?
    • Gift Cards

The Garden Website for June

Amanda's Garden Consulting Company
A shady Vancouver garden in June.

June Garden Chores

June garden to do list
It's peony time in the garden.

In This Issue

Mont Rose Deutzia-flowering shrubs-June-summer
Mont Rose Deutzia is a beautiful deciduous shrub for USDA zones 5 to 8.
Plant of the Month: Japanese Snowbell - June Garden Stars - June Garden Chores
Visit Your Garden - Planting - Prepare for Summer - Overcrowded Gardens 
All About Watering - Drought Gardening - Sprinkler Tips 
Hanging Baskets, Planters & Pollinators - Lawns - Nix the Lawn
What to Prune in June - Pruning Fruit Trees - Grapes, Raspberries & Fruit Protection
In the Veggie Garden - Getting Buggy With It - Tomato Tips - Rockin' the Roses
Picture
Pretty pink window box geraniums.

Fellow Gardeners..

grass growing through plants
Grass is cohabitating with my iris. I did not consent.
Dear Fellow Gardeners,
I don’t always enjoy wandering through my garden despite the lovely flora. Sometimes it becomes an irritant as issues pop up that need attention like plants being bullied by others and sly, sneaky weeds.
On a recent sojourn I was dismayed to see grass overtaking a couple of Siberian iris in the back raised bed. It must have snuck in from under the fence. That’s typical of grass – growing with gay abandon where it is not supposed to grow while it struggles to survive when grown as a lawn.
I strove to remove the grass that had weaved itself through the iris’s roots, but as I dug and tugged at the grass, it wasn’t having any of it. It hung on smugly, and I became more and more frustrated. Eventually I gave up and made the decision that both grass riddled irises need to be dug up. It’s not going to be pretty.
Digging them up isn’t the hard part, it’s extracting  the insidious grass roots that are cavorting with the iris rhizome that’s the problem.
I’m breaking up this illicit affair!
The question is when. Right now, the irises are in full bloom so it would be better to wait until fall to do the dirty deed, however, I can’t bear seeing the grass engulf my irises over the summer.
I would have to avert my eyes from such debauchery.
After they finish flowering, I’ll dig them up and blast the grass out of the iris roots with a garden hose.
Knowing me I’ll end up covered in filth and I'll need to be hosed off too - argh!
Have fun in the garden & watch for any illicit affairs of the floral kind. 
Cheers,
Amanda

Picture
My cavorting Siberian iris.

June's Plant of the Month

Japanese Snowbell
Picture
 Japanese snowbell, Styrax japonicus, is a charming and showy small tree than dons masses of beautiful white flowers in May and June. Learn more about this small and elegant flowering tree here.

June's Arrangement

Cut flowers,June cut flowers,floral design
June 2025
June flowers include peonies, Japanese spirea and lady's mantle. For a numbered guide to the specific flower names and for other arrangements go to Monthly Flower Arrangements

Garden Consultation Gift Cards

Picture
Get the perfect gift for gardeners and non-gardeners alike with a gift certificate for a personal garden consultation. In the two-hour consultation their gardening questions are answered such as how to lower maintenance, landscape design, trouble shooting, plant ID, lawn care, veggie gardening and other garden related issues.  A $200.00 value. Serving Metro Vancouver. Click here to fill out the form.

Sign up for your ​Free Subscription!

subscribe to The Garden Website.com
To receive the monthly edition of The Garden Website.com click here.

A Book For the tropics

Picture
Picture
Delve into the world of tropical shrubs with the reference book Ornamental Tropical Shrubs. It features beautiful colour pictures for each plant as well as point form information on suitable growing conditions and all their features. Available at Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.

Water Restrictions

water restrictions for Metro Vancouver
Water restrictions in Metro Vancouver continues until mid October.
Metro Vancouver Water Restrictions: Water trees, shrubs & gardens any day, from 5 am - 9 am. Hand water and use drip irrigation and soaker hoses any time. Vegetable gardens are exempt from the regulations. Water lawns once a week on Saturdays on even numbered addresses, and Sundays for odd numbered.  For more details on current water restrictions click on Metro Vancouver.

Amanda's YouTube Channel 

Picture
Click on the pic to be redirected.
Check out my YouTube Channel for garden videos. Includes instructional videos and some pretty plant ones too as I just can't resist.

June Garden Stars

Rubidor weigela,Weigela florida 'Rubidor',June flowering shrub,hummingbird plant
Rubidor weigela, Weigela florida 'Rubidor', deciduous shrub, 5' - 8' x 7'-9', sun, butterflies, hummingbirds. Zones 4 to 8. Click on pic for more.
Black plants,maroon foliage,Sambucus nigra-elderberry
‘Black Lace’ elderberry, Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’, deciduous shrub, 6’-8’ x 6’, black edible berries, sun/part shade. Zones 4 to 7.
Mountain laurel,Kalmia latifolia,summer flowering shrub,shade plants
Mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia, broadleaf evergreen, 5’ to 15’, part shade. Zones 4 to 9.

Patty's Purple hebe,Hebe buxifolia 'Patty's Purple',summer flowering shrub,June flowers
Patty's Purple hebe, H. buxifolia 'Patty's Purple', broadleaf evergreen shrub, sun, 2'-3' x 1-2'. Zones 8 to 10.
Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro' daylily,June flowers,summer blossoms,fragrant plants
Stella D’Oro daylily, Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro', herbaceous perennial, 10”-12” tall & wide, sun, part shade. Zones 2 to 9. Click on pic for more.
Japanese spirea,Spiraea japonica,summer flowering shrub,June flowers
Japanese spirea, Spiraea japonica, deciduous shrub, 3-4’ tall and wide, sun. Zones 4 to 9. Click on pic for more.

Mont Blanc deutzia,summer flowering shrub,June flowers
Mont Rose Deutzia, D. x hybrida 'Mont Rose', deciduous shrub, 3 to 4 ft tall & wide, sun to part shade. Zones 5 to 8.
Oriental poppy,Papaver orientale,summer flowers,June flowers
Oriental poppy, Papaver orientale, herbaceous perennial, 15” – 3’ x 1’ -2’, sun. Zones 3 to 8. Click on the pic for more.
Lupins,Lupinus,June flowers,wildflowers,summer flowering perennials
Lupins, Lupinus spp., herbaceous perennial, 3’ – 4’ x 1’ – 1.5’, May - July, sun. Zones 4 to 8

Nelly Moser clematis,pruning clematis
Nelly Moser clematis, deciduous vine, 6' to 8’, sun, part shade. Zone 4 to 8. Click on pic for more.
Astilbe,summer flowering perennial,June blossoms,shade plant
Astilbes, herbaceous perennials, 6in to 4ft, partial shade to shade & moist soils. Zones 3 to 8. Click on the pic for more.
Delphiniums,summer flowering perennials
Delphiniums, herbaceous perennial, 4’-6’ x 2’-3’, June to July, sun. Zones 3 to 7. Click on pic for more.

red hot poker,Kniphofia,plants for sun
Red Hot Poker, Kniphofia uvaria, herbaceous perennial, 3'-4' x 2'-3', sun. Zones 5 to 9. Click on the pic for more.
Lavenders,Lavandula,fragrant flowers,summer flowers,June flowers
English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, semi-evergreen sub-shrub, fragrant, June, July, sun, 1 to 3’. Zones 5 to 9. Click on the pic for more.
calla lily,summer flowering perennial
Calla lily, Zantedeschia, herbacous rhizomatous perennial, 1' to 3', sun to partial shade. Zones 8 to 10.

Stewartia pseudocamellia,summer flowering trees,urban trees
Japanese Stewartia, Stewartia pseudocamellia, deciduous tree, 20 - 40' x 10 - 25', sun, part shade. Zones 5-8. Click on the pic for more.
masterwort,Astrantia major,summer flowers,June flowers
Masterwort, Astrantia major, herbaceous perennial, partial shade, moist soil 1’-2’ x 1’-1.5’. Zones 4 to 7.
Portuguese Cherry Laurel,Prunus lusitanica, broadleaf evergreen tree,fragrant summer flowering tree
Portuguese Cherry Laurel, Prunus lusitanica, broadleaf evergreen, 10’– 20’ x 15’ – 20’, sun, part shade. Zones 4 to 9. Click on pic for more.

honeysuckle,Lonicera-flowering vines,June flowering vines
Mandarin honeysuckle, Lonicera 'Mandarin', deciduous vine to 5 feet, May - June fragrant flowers, sun to part shade. Zones 4 to 9.
Gladiator flowering onion,summer flowering plants
Gladiator Flowering Onion, Allium 'Gladiator', fragrant, flowering bulb, full sun, flower stems up to 44 inches, Zones 4 to 8.
Lady's Mantle,Alchemilla mollis,plants for shade
Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla mollis, herbaceous perennial, prefers moist shade, 12"-18" x 18"-2'. Zones 2 to 3.

Blue Waterfall Serbian bellflower-Campanula poscharskyana 'Camgood'-groundcover
Blue Waterfall Serbian bellflower, Campanula poscharskyana 'Camgood', herbaceous perennial, 8” x 4’, sun/part sun. Zones 4 to 7.
'Royal Purple' smokebush Cotinus coggygria,shrubs with colourful summer foliage
'Royal Purple' smokebush, Cotinus coggygria, deciduous shrub, 10-15’ x 15’- 20’. Sun, part shade. Zones 4 to 8
Blue globe thistle,Echinops bannaticus,blue flowers,June flowers,drought tolerant plant
Blue globe thistle, Echinops bannaticus, herbaceous perennial, 2-4’ x 1–2’, flowers June to August, sun, dry soil, prickly. Zones 3 to 8.

June Garden Chores

Click on the coloured links to be redirected.
Visit Your Garden
June Garden Chores
Roses and peonies make good partners in the back garden.
How to inspect and check the garden-Gardening in June
Gardens come alive with blossoms this month.
Picture
Bindweed, wild morning glory, will devour gardens if not controlled.
Visit Your Garden: Give yourself a break from the world and take a tour through your garden. There’s always something going on, especially this month as gardens erupt with billowing rose blossoms and other summer favourites. Keep an eye out for buttercups, bindweed and other badly behaved weeds as they easily take over vast tracks of land in the blink of an eye. Then there’s bugs. It’s the vegan ones we must worry about as they devour our flora. To learn what to look for when checking out your garden click on Garden Inspections.

Planting
Planting-how to plant
Finish planting as soon as possible.
How to plant
Loosen roots before planting.
June's Garden Chores
Handwater all newly planted plants. Don't rely on sprinklers, soaker hoses or drip systems.
Planting: If you still have plants to get into the ground do so asap as summer is officially here. It’s preferable to wait for a cloudy day, or wait until later in the day. When planting, slightly loosen roots and firm soil to remove any air pockets. Hand water thoroughly after planting, then water every other day until new growth sprouts. Keep an eye on your new babies and don’t go on vacation. For more on planting click on Planting Know-How.

Prepare for Summer
rock mulches-wood chips
Rocks don't have the benefits of organic mulches & plants suffer for it.
Picture
Organic mulch helps maintain soikmoisture.
Where to purchase mulch.
Purchase mulch at garden centres & hardware stores.
Be prepared to protect the garden from the hot afternoon sun. Place a 3 inch layer of mulch on top of the soil and between plants to keep the  ground cooler and wetter. Avoid rock mulches. They get too hot in summer, they don't retain soil moisture, they are not nutrient rich and weeds grow between the rocks. To learn more about mulch click on Mulch & Mulching. If mulch is not your thing, protect the soil with ground covers such as sedum in sunny locations or Japanese spurge in shady spots. For more information click on Living Mulches & Groundcovers.

Overcrowded Gardens - Save the Meek
Overcrowded gardens.
A rose is being overwhelmed by its neighbours.
June garden chores.
Here's the same rose after it's neighbours were cut back,
Staking peonies.
Peonies need to be staked.
trellis support for plants,Lilium speciosum 'Black Beauty'
A trellis holds up a Black Beauty lily.
How to stake plants-peony rings
Feel free to cut peony rings to make your own staked design.
Overcrowded Plants - Save the Meek: Cut back stems from plants that are interfering with other plants. Don’t take more off than you need to, just the branches that are in the way. Either remove the entire branch or cut them back to a side branch. 
Keeping Plants Upright: Stake plants that need support. Continue to secure them as their stems elongate and flowers appear. Use bamboo poles, peony cages, trellises, tomato cages  to support droopy plants. Dollar stores are a great resource. 

When to Water
When to water.
Water in the morning, not the evening!
Why plants wilt.
This butterfly needs water STAT!
tips to help with the garden during drought
Dead branches on this David viburnum were caused by a lack of water.
When to Water: It’s best to water in the morning as plants need it to get through the day. They are actively growing and need their breakfast. Plants rest at night, so they don’t need the water. It also encourages diseases and fungus. However, wilted, thirsty plants need water asap so don't wait to give them a drink. To learn how to water more efficiently and effectively click on Watering Tips & Techniques.

Watering Trees
How to water trees-dripline
Water trees along their dripline.
Watering street trees-maintenance.
A strangled street tree is suffering from neglect and bad planting.
Picture
The water bags on these street trees are better than nothing.
Watering Trees: One way to kill a tree is by not watering it during the summer. Even after a wet spring, the ground quickly dries out when it’s hot and dry. Don’t apply water to the trunk. Instead give them a good soak along the dripline. That’s where the tree’s canopy ends and where their feeder roots are.
Street trees: They have a tough life. Stuck between roads and sidewalks they have little soil, and they don’t receive any water and food. Water bags are sometimes used by municipalities, but they are inadequate. They are placed on the trunk, not along the dripline where they are needed. To avoid dying and dead trees (and potential safety hazards), take the time to give them a really good soaking once a month.

Drought Gardening
Drought Gardening
Avoid placing landscape fabric or plastic under mulch.
Drought tolerant plants
Water drought tolerant plants well until they show new growth.
Protecting plants from the sun.
Protect 'hot' plants from the sun.
How to cool gardens that are too hot.
Shade hot locations by using plants to block the sun.
Drought Gardening: There are many techniques to conserve moisture in the landscape. There are also many misconceptions on how to do it. It’s important to work with nature by encouraging a sustainable and more self-reliant garden. To learn the smart way to garden with less water click on Drought Gardening. ​​
Fried Plants:   Newly planted plants and ones that love the shade are prone to wilting when exposed to the hot afternoon summer sun. For a temporary fix, shade them with a trellis covered with cardboard, tablecloth or use an umbrella. For a more permanent fix, plant a tall plant or more on the south or west side of the flagging plant to block the light.

Sprinkler Tips
Watering the garden in summer.
Ensure all areas of the garden receive regular watering.
Watering the vegetable garden.
Don't forget to set up a sprinkler in the veggie garden.
Using a timer to water the lawn.
Use a timer to make watering the garden and lawn stress free.
Sprinkler Tips: Make sure you have an adequate amount of hoses and sprinklers to cover your entire garden, lawn and veggie beds. If not, get thee to a garden or hardware store asap before everything is sold out. To make your life easier, attach sprinklers to a timer. Don’t forget to follow local watering restrictions in your area. Each zone should be on for 45 minutes to an hour to ensure the soil is thoroughly wetted. To learn how to water more efficiently and effectively click on Watering Tips & Techniques,

Hanging Basket, Planters & Pollinators
Picture
Move suffering moss baskets from the hot sun.
How to take care of planters in summer-container growing
Keep an eye on planters as they dry out quickly.
Water in the garden for pollinators.
Set up water stations for pollinators.
attract butterflies with fresh fruit
Feed butterflies with pieces of ripe fruit.
How to grow a garden for pollinators.
A bee enjoys a false indigo (Baptisia) flower.
Hanging baskets & Planters: Container grown plants need daily watering during the summer. Check on them daily and move them to a shadier location if they are suffering. To rejuvenate overly dry plants, dunk moss baskets and planters in a bucket of water or sink until the bubbling stops. For more on growing in containers click here. 
Birds, butterflies and pollinators:
Attract butterflies with sliced oranges, overripe bananas and other fruit. Hang them in trees or place them on rocks or saucers. Add a shallow tray of water filled with pebbles, marbles or glass beads. For more information on how to attract and care for pollinators click on Helping Pollinators.

Lawns
Lawn maintenance in summer.
Due to water restrictions, water lawns once a week for an hour.
Watering lawns in summer.
This dried out lawn is vulnerable to grubs and weeds.
How to protect the lawn from grubs-chafer-leatherjackets-sodwebworm
Crows have feasted on the chafer beetle grubs.
organic lawn fertilizers-feeding lawns
Apply a high nitrogen organic lawn fertilizer.
Lawns: Metro Vancouver’s water restrictions only allow watering the lawn once a week, so make the most of that day. Keep it on for a full hour to ensure the roots absorb as much as possible. The lawn will be healthier and able to fight back against grubs including chinch bugs, chafer beetles, sod webworms and leatherjackets. There will be fewer weeds and will quickly green up in the autumn.
Feed the Lawn. Use a high nitrogen fertilizer, a high first number ex: 10-4-3. Opt for an organic or slow release fertilizers that contains no more than 20% N. Too much nitrogen spurs on rapid, lush, vulnerable growth prone to insects and diseases.  
Mowing Lawn techniques.
Grow a healthy lawn with correct maintenance.
What height to mow the lawn.
Don't cut the lawn too short.
Keep clippings on the lawn when mowing.
Keep clippings on the lawn unless they are too long.
Lawn Mowing Tips: Raise the mower height to 2.5 to 3 inches. Check the height with a ruler after mowing a strip and adjust the height if necessary. The longer grass stops the adults of chafer beetles and other grubs from laying their eggs into the soil. The longer blades also shades the soil and promotes longer roots. For more on lawns click on Fertilizing Lawns - Lawn Basics - Lawn Maintenance Schedule - Lawn Grub Control - Moss in Lawns​

Nix the Lawn
lawn alternative for shade
A shady area becomes a courtyard.
hardscaping instead of lawn
A front lawn is converted to an attractive seating area.
Alternatives to lawns.
A back garden is full of flowers, veggies and fruits.
Meadows for a lawn alternative.
A meadow garden consists of ornamental grasses and groundcovers.
Nix the Lawn: You don’t need to have a lawn if you don’t want to. There are many alternatives to choose from to suit your lifestyle and the growing conditions, no matter what they are. If there’s too much shade for your lawn, consider converting it into a shade garden with ferns, hostas and other shade loving plants.  If it’s too sunny, plant a meadow. For more options click on Lawn Alternatives.

What to Prune in June
how to prune heathers,how to keep heathers compact
Cut off the dead flowers from heathers to keep plants compact.
When to Prune Hydrangeas
It's too late to cut back hydrangeas.
How to cut back stems-pruning-nodes
Cut back stems just above a node (bud), not between the nodes.
Pruning Shrubs: There’s more to pruning shrubs than just lopping off their tops, they also need to be thinned. Remove all spindly, weak, old, diseased and dead stems at their base as well as any branches that grow towards the centre of the plant. To shorten shrub branches, cut just above a side branch or a bud (node). Remove no more than 1/3 of overall growth because cutting too much off sets plants back. Avoid pruning hydrangeas, rose of sharon, buddleias, roses and other plants that have yet to blossom.

Pruning Trees
Remove suckers from trees-pruning trees
Remove suckers from trees and the burl they arise from.
How to shorten tree branches-pruning trees
Shorten stems by cutting just above a side branch.
How to cut off tree branches-pruning trees.
Cut off tree branches directly in front of the branch ridge.
How to prune trees-tree topping.
The tree on the right has been badly pruned, while the one on the right has not.
suckers-topped trees-pruning trees
When trees are topped, ugly suckers take the place of the branches.
Pruning Trees: Remove dead branches, broken ones and any diseased growth. Pull or cut off all the suckers and watersprouts so they don’t take over the plant. Cut back or just remove branches that are in the way of walking and overtaking other plants. To shorten tree branches, cut just above a side branch. Don't cut back all the branches from a tree. That's called 'topping' and 'hat-racking'. It results in an ugly tree as suckers replace the branches. It also weakens and kills trees.

Pruning Wisterias, Grapes & Conifers
When to prune wisterias.
Prune wisterias after the finish flowering.
How to prune wisterias.
Cut back wisteria's side stems back to 2 to 4 buds to promote more flowers.
How to prune pines
Pinch pine candles in half to keep branches short.
Prune Wisterias: To control wisterias and to promote flowering, cut back all the side shoots to 2 to 4 buds. These shortened stubby stems will become flowering spurs in a couple of years. Repeat this process again in winter. 
Pruning Cedars & Other Conifers: Prune or shear your cedar hedges when the new growth turns a dark green. Pinch pine tree ‘candles’ in half to keep branches from growing. Do NOT prune the top from pines, firs, cedars, spruce, arborvitaes trees. Never prune conifers without a darn good reason as they do not have the ability to regrow like other plants.

Pruning Fruit Trees
June drop-fruit that drop from trees
Fruit trees abort extra fruit in June.
apple fruit spur
An apple's fruiting spur produces flowers and fruit.
Pruning apple trees in summer.
Cut back apple stems to a couple of buds & shorten longer ones.
Thinning fruit on apple trees-fruit trees
Thin fruit so they don't touch.
When to prune peaches-stone fruit.
Prune peach trees after harvesting.
Summer Fruit Pruning: It’s important to prune fruit trees in the summer to redirect the growth to fruit production and to remove errant and unproductive growth. Remove suckers, watersprouts, old unproductive stems, dead, diseased and broken branches.
Stone Fruit: Wait to prune cherry trees, peaches, apricot and other stone fruit until after the fruits are harvested in late summer to reduce infection from bacterial canker.    
Thinning fruit: Is there such a thing as too much fruit? There sure is. Overladen branches weighed down by ripening fruit are prone to breaking, plus overcrowded fruit clusters breed diseases, encourage insects and delay ripening.  It’s natural for fruit trees to abort some of their extra fruit in June. This process is referred to as ‘June Drop’, but it does not take the place of judicious thinning. Snip off any deformed, blemished, sickly and tiny fruit then follow up with thinning fruit clusters.
Apples: Remove ones that touch each other and keep only two fruit per cluster. Plums leave one fruit every 2 -3” or a pair of fruit every 6 inches. Thin pears to 4 to 6” apart, peaches and nectarines to one every 4”.

Grapes, Raspberries & Fruit Protection
How to prune grapes.
For larger grapes, remove extra stems & fruit clusters.
How to train raspberries.
Train raspberries on supports for easy harvesting and maintenance.
How to protect fruit from animals,birds
Protect fruit with mesh, not netting.
Grapes: For larger grapes remove every third or fourth side shoots so the remaining stems are a foot apart. Cut back the remaining side shoots to a couple of buds (nodes) on each of those side stems. For more click on Pruning Grapes.
Raspberries & Cane Fruit: Stake the new canes of raspberries, blackberries and other cane fruit. Cover ripening berries with row covers or nets to protect them from animals. Inspect wilting canes for raspberry cane borers by cutting  off stems 6 inches past the wilted portion. Inspect the removed stem for a wee bug inside and discard. To learn more about how to train, prune and grow raspberries, click here.
Protect Fruit: Keep birds, squirrels and other critters from devouring your fruit with shiny tape, whirligigs, fake owls, or rubber snakes. Avoid netting as birds get caught and can’t escape. Use a mesh or organza to keep your fruit safe without harming wildlife.

In the Veggie Garden
How to kill caterpillars-Bacillius thuringiensis-Bt
Use thuricide to control caterpillars.
organic insect control-floating row covers-cloche
Floating row covers keep bugs off veggie plants.
caterpillars eating vegetable crops
Caterpillars love to feast on many types of crops.
In the Veggie Garden: Daily inspections are warranted as crops are popular to a host of predators including slugs, cutworms, caterpillars, birds and critters. There are many ways to control slugs from baits to deterrents, for more click here. Use thuricide (Bt, Bacillius thuringiensis) to control caterpillars. To deter critters from digging, place a mulch on top of the soil and to stop them going into the garden, place a few whirlygigs around the garden. Another option is to cover the crops with floating row covers or a cloche.
Garlic: Remove the flowers (scapes) as soon as they appear to promote bigger cloves. Use the tasty scapes in salads and stir fries. 
how to grow and harvest broccoli
Cut off broccoli heads, but leave the plant.
vegetable gardening
New broccoli heads will grow from the remaining plant.
garlic scapes-growing garlic
Remove garlic scapes when they are small.
How to grow potatoes
Hill soil around potatoes as they grow.
Growing potatoes
Harvest new potatoes when they flower.
Keep plants well-watered so they don’t wilt. Harvest often, preferably in the morning after the dew has evaporated. Avoid touching and harvesting plants when they are wet. Remove any dead, dying and diseased plant parts asap to reduce infection. Keep hilling up the soil around potatoes as they grow. Snip off garlic and onion flowers and stop watering to allow the bulbs to form. Cut off broccoli heads and leave the rest of the plant for new heads to grow. Here's more on growing veggies: Growing Food - Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting - Harvesting

Getting Buggy With It
corn earworm-how to control
Use mineral oil to prevent corn earworm.
Japanese beetle on potato
Japanese beetle damage on potato foliage.
ten lined June beetle
June beetles feed on plant roots. Click on pic for more.
Picture
Stink bugs like hot, dry weather. Click on pic for more.
Picture
Stink bug damage makes this pepper inedible.
Earwigs: Create a trap by mixing 1 part soy sauce with 1 part olive oil in a small plastic lidded tub. Make 3 or 4 holes an inch from the rim around the container large enough for the earwigs to enter. Bury the container up to the holes. Check every few days and discard any victims and replace the solution when necessary.
Corn Earworms: To prevent corn earworms from infesting ears of corn, place a couple of drops of mineral oil on the silks of each corn cob within a week of when the cobs develop.
Stink Bugs: These shield shaped insects emerge in summer and suck the sap out of flowers, fruits and foliage making crops inedible. To learn how to control them click on Stink Bugs.  
Japanese Beetles: Many plants, including potatoes and apple trees are favoured by this destructive pest that skeletonizes leaves. To learn more, click on Japanese Beetles.

Tomato Tips
Should tomato suckers be removed.
Remove suckers!
How to grow tomatoes
Space plants at least 2' apart.
blossom end rot-tomato fruit rotting at end
Infrequent watering and lack of calcium causes blossom end rot.
why tomatoes crack-split tomato fruit
Inconsistent soil moisture causes tomatoes to crack.
Tomato Tips: Tasty tomatoes are borne from nutritious rich loam that’s kept evenly moist and where they receive at least 6 hours of direct sun a day. In hot climates such as the southern US, refrain from placing tomatoes where they receive full afternoon sun.  Don’t overcrowd tomato plants – they don’t like it. They should be at least 2 feet apart so air can circulate, and the sun can penetrate. Secure stems as they grow as their supple stems break easily. Remove suckers, preferably when they are small. Don’t allow the soil to dry out as fluctuating soil moisture leads to blossom end rot and the fruit to split. There’s lots of tips and techniques for growing healthy delicious fruit. Here’s a few links to check out: Tomato Tips - Tomato Seedlings to Plants - Taming Tomatoes - Speeding up Tomato Harvest - Tomato Troubles - Saving Tomato Seeds

Rockin' the Roses
Bonica floribunda rose
A Bonica floribunda rose flowers effortlessly.
rose sawfly-rose insects
Rose sawfly damage is unsightly but it's not fatal. Click on pick for more.
rose bloom balling-roses that don't open
Excess rain encourages rose bloom balling. Click on pic for more.
aphids on roses
Ladybug larva on the left feasts on aphids.
Rose Care: June is the beginning of rose season and they need some TLC to keep them flowering and to be healthy. Happy roses require direct sunshine for at least 6 hours a day, a rich moist loam and a 3 inch layer of mulch. Don’t allow the soil to dry out as this sets them back and encourages ants to make nests in their roots. Cut off faded blossoms to encourage reblooming. For cut flowers and to deadhead, prune stems back to a leaf that has 5 or more leaflets, not 3.
After each flush of bloom, give plants a drink and some food. Fertilize with compost, SeaSoil, triple mix, kelp or another organic fertilizer. Roses love a good mulch. Add 3 inches of recycled wood chips. Place it on top of the soil around their stems, but don’t cover their canes. On grafted roses, remove any suckers (stems) that emerge from below the bud union.
How to grow climbing roses.
Climbing roses need to tied to their support.
How to prune roses
To remove blossoms, cut above a 5-leaflet leaf.
a five leaflet rose leaf
A 5-leaflet leaf.
ants under rose bushes
Ants have formed a nest under the rose bush.
Climbing Roses: Their long supple canes don't have the ability to cling to a support so they must be tied as they grow. If possible, grow them horizontally along a fence as this encourages more flowers along the cane.
Click on the following links for more on roses.
How to Grow Roses - Types of Roses - Easy Roses - Climbing Roses - Rose Sawfly - Portland's Rose Test Garden - Rose Insects & Diseases - Pruning Roses - Rose Bloom Balling

    Comments

Submit

    Book A Consultation

Submit

THE GARDEN WEBSITE INDEX


Click on the links below to be redirected.
​About, Services &​ Contact ​         ​
  • Learn How to Garden Introduction 
How to Garden Topics 
  • Planting Know How
  • Soil Building
  • Cover Crops
  • Composting
  • Compost Tea
  • Watering Tips & Techniques
  • ​Drought Gardening
  • Sheet Mulching/Lasagna Gardening
  • Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs
  • Houseplant Winter Care
Growing Food Introduction
  • Crop Succession, Crop Rotation, Companion Planting
  • Spring Veggie Gardening
  • Harvesting
  • Growing Potatoes
  • Winter Vegetable Gardening
  • Taming Tomatoes
  • Speeding Up Tomato Harvest
  • Tomato Tips
  • Tomato Troubles
Container Growing 101
  • Choosing a Container
Monthly Flower Arrangements
Growing Roses Introduction 
  • Types of Roses
  • Climbing Roses
  • Rose Insects & Diseases
  • Pruning Roses
  • Easy Roses
  • Portland's Rose Test Garden
  • Rose Sawfly
  • Rose Bloom Balling
Pruning Basics 101
  • Pruning Tools
  • Winter Pruning
  • Pruning Grapes
  • Pruning Clematis
  • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
Mulching & Types Introduction
  • Living Mulches – Ground covers​
Garden Tour Blogs
Feeding Plants 101
  • Fertilizers & Ratios
  • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
  • Organic Plant Food
Propagation Introduction
  • Growing Seed Outdoors
  • Growing Seed Indoors
  • Taking Cuttings
  • Saving Tomato Seeds
  • Seed & Plant Catalogues
Plants of the Month
  • Colourful Fall Plants 
Lawns
  • ​Lawn Reno, Seed, Sod
  • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
  • Spring Lawn Care
  • ​Mossy Lawns
  • Lawn Alternatives
Lawn Grub Controls

for the tropical Gardener

Ornamental Tropical Shrubs,Pineapple Press,Amanda Jarrett,thegardenwebsite.com
While working in Florida as horticultural consultant, it became apparent that there was a need for a book on tropical shrubs. There are so many wonderful shrubs to choose from, so I wrote a reference book to make the selections easier. Ornamental Tropical Shrubs includes pictures in full colour and information about the plants in point form. So if you live in the tropics and subtropics and need a reference book on tropical shrubs, or you just want to have a look-see click here. 


Love plants, love to garden. ​
​Amanda's Garden Company
The Garden Website ​

Copyright 2017 The Garden Website.com, Amanda's Garden Consulting Company - All Rights Reserved

Home


Terms and Conditions

 About, Services & Contact

Ask Amanda


Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2017
  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Amanda's Garden Blog
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Hardening Off Plants
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Soil pH
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Fall Veggie Garden Clean-up
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Raspberries
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Cloches
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Critters in the Garden
    • Black Sooty Mould
    • Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
    • Christmas Wreaths
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Azaleas, Deciduous
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Catalpas
    • Chinese Windmill Palm
    • Columbine
    • Chrysanthemums
    • Crocuses
    • Dahlias
    • Dawn Redwood
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Doghobble, Leucothoe
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Elderberries, Sambucus
    • Evergreen Clematis
    • English Daisies
    • Fawn Lilies, Erythroniums
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Hardy Fuchsia
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Heavenly Bamboo
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Hydrangeas, Mophead & Lacecap
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Snowbell
    • Japanese Spirea
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Kale, ornamental
    • Katsura Trees
    • Kousa Dogwood
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pearl Bush
    • Persian Ironwood
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Photinia, Fraser
    • Poinsettias
    • Primroses
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Saucer Magnolia
    • Shrubby Cinquefoil
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Solomon's Seal
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Variegated Wintercreeper
    • Viburnum, Pink Dawn Bodnant
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Winter Daphne
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tours & Such
    • NW Horticultural Society July Garden Tour 2024
    • Burnaby in Blooms
    • Burnaby's Century Gardens
    • South Delta Garden Club Tour 2023
    • Garden Club Events
  • Website Index
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?
    • Gift Cards