Dirt-y Secrets: June is the gardener’s favorite month

By Ranel Hanson
Reader Columnist

“June is bustin’ out all over!”
— Carousel, by Rodgers and Hammerstein

This is the month gardeners wait for all year. Seeds are planted and sprouting up, flower baskets are getting more beautiful daily, birds are everywhere, bees are working hard and we have the whole summer ahead of us. What a time to celebrate life.

Speaking of birds, I have a decorative birdhouse on my front porch. A mother swallow has decided that it is suitable for nesting — this, despite the comings and goings all day long and the very curious dog who just can’t get over the whole thing. A sassy bird who is just out of reach but who will enter a stare-off at any time is great summertime entertainment.

Hummingbirds are going to disappear for a while soon while they nest. They like some privacy while they take care of their eggs. But, before you know it, they will bring the babies to your flowers and feeders as they teach them where to find food. Be sure to keep those feeders clean and filled. When the weather is hot, sugar water spoils quickly. 

Courtesy image.

Your springtime bulbs are mostly spent by now. However, they need the leaves to store nutrients for next year’s blooms, so leave them until they turn brown. And, this fall, plant as many allium bulbs as you can afford. They are bee magnets and so dramatically beautiful with their big, round, purple heads. And, deer don’t like them.

I have a new-to-me discovery to pass on: 30% vinegar. Perhaps I am the only one who didn’t know about this weed killer, but now that I do, I am hooked. I have used regular kitchen vinegar for years, but this is the heavy-duty stuff. You can get it at nurseries and big box stores and it is highly effective. One caution though: Put it in your spray bottle and adjust to a tight stream. Then, get down close and spray the weed thoroughly. If your spray is wide and soaks the surrounding plants or grass, it will kill those, too. Best to do it on a hot, dry day with no sprinkler activity for 24 hours.

Also new to me, there is a local organization — the Mighty Monarchs — which promotes milkweed planting as an aid to monarch butterflies. Milkweed is essential to monarch butterflies as they must lay their eggs on it so that when the caterpillars hatch, they can get right to eating. Milkweed is their only food. I have planted milkweed for the past three years, and now it is spreading and very robust. It is also beautiful and deer resistant. We are not on the main monarch migration route, but we do get some, and the more milkweed we have for them, the more will come. 

They are in danger of extinction, so it is well worth our while to attract and care for them. If you are interested in knowing more, you can contact [email protected].

Here’s another bit of new information, and this one I would rather not have. I have a boxwood hedge that has been in place for probably 25 years. It has some dead spots that I have been trying to revive without much luck. I don’t know if it has reached the end of its lifespan (20-30 years) or if it has somehow contracted the dreaded boxwood blight. 

Does anyone know about this issue? I don’t know if I can save it, or how to do that. If you have experience with this, or advice to give me, contact me at [email protected]. 

So far, I have cut out some obviously dead branches and watered the daylights out of it. My theory is that the autumn clematis that covered it all winter didn’t allow water to reach it through the frozen soil.

Finally, a word about mosquitos: Hordes of them! Swallow houses and bat houses are helpful, but this year, crickey! Remember to empty that standing water and try to stay away from tall grass and woods at dusk. These guys are voracious and obnoxious.

Enjoy our beautiful area and squeeze all the summer fun into each and every day. And don’t use pesticides.