GARDEN FANATIC

“People are never free of trying to be content.”

“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.”

The month of June brings Father’s Day and graduations... and booth construction at the festivals. Traffic is on the rise, with visitors and relatives from out of town filling up the parking spaces and restaurants. With summer just days away, it’s also time to get the garden in shape.

June is a difficult month to be content. It is the transition between spring and summer. Gardeners must overcome the morning-overcast gloom, which promotes mildew, snails and slugs in the ground cover (tread carefully as not to walk on someone’s pet), and fungus gnats in the lawn.

Then afternoon brings a blazing sun, which requires multiple watering of new flowers, protection for tender plants (and yourself) from sunscald, and the proliferation of mites and thrips.

After the rush of spring, we tend to become a bit noncommittal about our gardens. After all, summer vacation is just days away for many. However, this is not the time to be complacent, because there is much to be done. Why risk the humiliation of an ugly garden?

Our gardening list begins with a generous topping of mulch on everything, including annuals, perennials and trees. This will help to conserve moisture and reduce water consumption. Don’t forget to water your tomatoes and roses. Even levels of moisture are the key to success.

Established plantings should be watered as needed, in response to the weather, rather than on a time schedule.

Roses should be fed with a balanced fertilizer... Miracle Gro for Roses is an excellent product. This is particularly important after a flower crop ends. Annuals and perennials will also benefit from monthly applications of fertilizer. Afterward, soak the soil thoroughly to prevent fertilizer “burn.”

With anticipated warmer weather, raise the lawn mower so the grass is cut higher. Water deeply and as infrequently as possible to encourage deeper root growth.

Lawn fertilizer should also be applied monthly during the summer season. Your favorite nursery can assist you with just the right product for your specific type of grass. Judicious use of herbicides can be effective in controlling weeds and crabgrass.

Many potted plants, such as fuchsia, tuberous begonias and other shade plants are at their peak during the early summer months. Provide plenty of water and light shade. Watch plants in containers carefully... don’t allow them to dry out during warm weather.

Summer pruning should be completed carefully... mainly to maintain space for your plant and yourself. It is OK to pinch back leggy growth on annuals and perennials to create a more attractive plant. Don’t forget to deadhead spent flowers on all of your plants!

I believe that I have come up with a very practical, although non-horticultural solution for our next round of visitors to Laguna. Rather than suffer about the vagaries of summer weather and bigger tomatoes and better roses, Catharine and I will remove the stress from summer. How? Simple, we will go on vacation ourselves.

See you next time.