Rain—we have had rain. Mostly that has been good for gardens. If you had the chance to plant your vegetable starts, annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees, the rain has been extremely helpful; however, if you have other things to do besides gardening, the weather has been a challenge.
I refuse to be gloomy. I have had the best crop of spinach ever. My lettuce looks great. I barely watered anything and the consistently moist soil has been good to my leafy greens. But some of my vegetables and herbs need more sun. Too much rain will leach nitrogen from the soil, and yellow leaves on the basil tell me it is time to add fertilizer.
It is also time to apply fertilizer to roses just as they start to bloom. When you gather roses for bouquets, cut long stems of roses back to an outward-facing leaf bud. The pruning encourages more growth now. The stems will harden off through the summer and form buds for next year.
Stormy weather prompts me to run around and gather cut flowers that might be pummeled in a heavy rainstorm. Peony and poppy flowers often shatter in heavy rain. I took photos of my poppies but didn’t save them from wild winds whipping off the petals. Luckily, bees found them before the windy destruction.
It looks like fairer weather is coming in the next seven days. Loosely tie canes of climbing roses to supports. Monitor sweet peas, morning glory, Clematis, and other climbers to be sure they embrace your trellises as well when warm weather spurs growth.
I spent last weekend dodging raindrops and pruning portions of my rhododendron. I hacked away at this oversized plant last year. I kept my pruning to a third of the plant and accepted that it would look like a child who gave himself a haircut. Awkward.
I am pleased that new leaf growth has appeared around the locations of last year’s pruning. And the flowers are still magnificent. This year, I snipped off fresh growth that would be interfering with other branches, but that was all.
Use clippings of grass free of herbicides around roses as mulch. Many things can serve as mulch. The purpose of this dry organic layer is to hold in soil moisture and provide a barrier to weed germination. But mulches also become part of the soil as they compost over the next two to three years. I have an overabundance of cilantro among my salad greens. I am pulling the cilantro and laying it out around the tomatoes until I have a chance to spread straw or perhaps cedar mulch.
Mulch can take many forms, and goals for mulch vary by garden location. You may want a layer of mulch to suppress weeds around trees and shrubs. A long-lasting mulch might be best. You should mulch around vegetable plants in the vegetable garden to retain moisture. That mulch could be incorporated into the soil and composted at the end of the season. Buckwheat hull mulch in annual, decorative containers creates a lightweight layer that can be mixed into the container soil to keep that soil light and airy in the future. The fine quality of buckwheat hulls also slows and spreads the water across the top of the soil preventing overflows.
In late spring as plants put on growth, disease and pests also kick in. Visit your gardens regularly (join them for a coffee break) and scout for insect damage. Not all damage requires action. Plants have many adaptations to cope with pests. Your job is to assess whether a control is needed.
I planted some castor bean plants this spring because they get big and require little care—a lazy gardener priority. In the past, I have noticed that Asian beetles may start to eat them, but not for long. This week I discovered severe damage on a few of the castor bean leaves but the new growth shows no issues. I don’t know what attacked it, but I have decided it is easier to do nothing.
Rather than always doing nothing, the lazy gardener does pursue preventive strategies. Plants that suffered from fungus issues last year should undergo a routine fungus prevention treatment now. The latest damp weather will bring on problems. By using fungicides (there are organic choices), you protect plant tissue from developing disease. Also to prevent powdery mildew, thin clumps of phlox and beebalm by a third as well as branches of lilac. Cut back to the crown or trunk. You want to create more sunlight and air circulation around the leaves. Then apply your fungicide.
More mid-June tips:
- Gently weed around spring vegetables and avoid disturbing the roots.
- When pruning a hedge, leave the bottom wider than the top to keep lower branches exposed to sunlight.
- As early spring perennials fade, fill the gaps with annuals that bloom all summer.
- Remove scapes (flower stems) of garlic and chop them up to use in vegetable broth or stirfries.
- Continue to sow lettuce seed. Sow seeds of Brussels sprouts and late-season cabbages now as well if you like.
- Deer tick nymphs (about the size of a pinhead) may be especially active now. Do tick checks and spray clothing with tick repellents.
- Celebrate dads and father figures on Sunday, June 15, with a trip to the garden center. Dads love hammocks, benches, and easy-care, flowering shrubs. Or give dad a break and let him do whatever he wants.
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
