For many gardeners in the South , May is a fuzz . When June rolls around and the warm days of summertime loom , perhaps we are quick for a short breather . From here on out , many of us become bookend gardeners . We sneak out in the aplomb of the cockcrow , retreat , and then render in the other evening time of day . However you opt to garden , here are a few things to remember about as summer firmly arrives .
Go back to the source cache . The beginning of June is a great metre to plant another one shot of annuals from seed . you could still directly sow into your garden a new harvest of zinnias ( Zinniaspp . and cvs . ) , sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ) , or even basil . Almost all the cucurbit ( which include squash and melon ) can be direct - seeded now to help check a retentive cropping cycles/second . As older plant slow production or develop insect trouble , you could replant and get a second harvest .
prune back grandiloquent perennials . This is the perfect meter to get by the height and falsify the blossom clip of many garden perennials . This is particularly truthful of some aboriginal plant that get tall in the garden and are subject to lodging ( toppling over ) . Joe Pye weed ( Eutrochiumspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) , ironweed ( Vernoniaspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–10 ) , and goldenrod ( Solidagospp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) are all good candidate for getting haircuts before the end of the calendar month .
harvest time smart . Harvest onions and potatoes when two - thirds of the tops have died down . Clean and store potatoes in a nerveless , dark position . Allow onions to heal on newspaper in a suspicious spot , and salt away them in a ironical , airy place . Perhaps areas of your garden where plants were harvested could be used for a second round of planting . Beans might be a upright approximation for some of these surface area .
Cook and fill gaps with herbs . Many culinary herbs are popping up in the garden this sentence of twelvemonth . Now is a dandy time to look for recipes that incorporate anything you might have on handwriting . Culinary herbs should also still be widely available at most sovereign garden inwardness . front for something new , and incorporate it into vacant post in your landscape . Or add some herbaceous plant to containers that are not quite fill out yet . As St. Basil the Great in the landscape painting starts to blossom this month , pinch off flower to encourage more leafy ontogenesis .
Celebrate the solstice with a full twenty-four hours of gardening . June 20 , 2020 , is this year ’s summertime solstice , which marks the longest day of the year . The full term “ solstice ” comes from the Latin wordssol(sun ) andsistere(to stand still ) . If we were close to the Arctic Circle , we would have 24 time of day of sun with which to garden as the sun “ stood still . ” For most of us in the South , we can sneak in about 14 hour of gardening on June 20 if we are truly enthusiastic . Perhaps it is a better sidereal day to reflect and celebrate everything that is honorable and enjoyable . Whatever you choose to do , you will have a long daytime to make it happen .
Visit other gardens for inspiration . More than anything , enjoy this month . June in the South is when you really set forth to see tangible evidence of your grueling study in the garden . It ’s also a great time to chew the fat other garden and gather ideas as long as you’re able to do so by maintaining social aloofness and pack health precautions . So this month make a gunpoint to visitpublic gardensif they ’re open , to enjoy open private garden in your area , and to take home some brainchild .
— Andy Pulte is a faculty extremity in the plant sciences section at the University of Tennessee .
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Long days this month mean plenty of time in the garden.Photo: Andy Pulte
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Now is a great time to extend your harvest by planting a second round of several different types of vegetables. Zucchini is a great option.Photo: Andy Pulte
Tall, later-blooming perennials such as goldenrod can be cut back now to improve form and structure going forward. Pictured: ‘Fireworks’ goldenrod (Solidago rugosa‘Fireworks’, Zones 4–8) blooming next to ‘Purple Dome’ asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae‘Purple Dome’, Zones 5–8) in fall.Photo: Mary Ann Newcomer
Be on the lookout for the right time to harvest your potatoes this month.Photo: Scott Phillips
It is a great time to look for spaces in your landscape where you can add all kinds of herbal plants. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, Zones 8–10) enjoys being planted in full sun and warm soil. Just don’t let it completely dry out in early establishment.Photo: Andy Pulte
This will be a very sunny month, with June 20 being the longest day of the year.Photo: Steve Aitken
Plants flourish at Montgomery Botanical Gardens in Alabama.Photo: Steve Aitken
