June is Perennial Gardening Month on June, 2024: Garden Plants?

June, 2024 is June is Perennial Gardening Month 2024. june-perennial-gardening-month.jpg Perennial Gardens

My gardening tips are to create an easy to maintain garden with seasonal interest, rather than just a summer splash.

The plants that I use are:

Phormiums - come in range of leaf colours, variegated, green, reds to purple. Grows from 2' to 5' with large flower spikes, when established and in a good sunny spot. Spear shaped leaves.

Buddleia - the butterfly bush - showy flowers, attracted butterflies, from around June. Only need pruning hard, around Feb, then just let them riot. There's also a variegated form, with purple flowers, otherwise flower colours from white, pinks to purple.

Lavenders:there are alot of different types:

Hidcote is around 18'' tall, lovely dark blue flowers.

Old English: 'lavender' blue flowers, around 2-3' tall.

French: these have coloured 'wings' ontop of their flowers.

All are best with a fairly harsh spring pruning, stops them getting leggy.

Heuchera's: good for semi shaded areas, fantastic choice of leaf colours and textures, plus flowers too.

Sedum Spectabile is 1 of the easiest plants to grow: roots easily too, if he takes cuttings next year onwards. Attracts butterflies.

I'd add some grasses, for leaf texture variation. Festuca Glauca is a short very blue grass. Otherwise, there are tons of colours from red, to variegated green/white or golden.

A Peony will flourish in the same spot for 50years +, so is really easy and showy. Some come with scented flowers.

Daylilies are lovely summer flowering herbaceous plants, yellow, reds etc. (Hemerocalis is the botanical name)

Phlox paniculata are herbaceous summer flowering plants, whites to pink. Very easy.

Foxgloves are easy, but the typically grown types grow from seed one year, flower and die the next. Good in partial shade, especially for back of borders, as they can reach 6' tall. Maybe you could start some from seed yourself, and post or take them to him?

Roses could be ok, either climbers or freestanding. Require an annual prune. Good long season colour.

Hardy Geraniums are easy showy plants, with long flowering periods - don't confuse with the summer bedding geraniums, which aren't hardy and thus not perennial in UK gardens.

I love Oriental Poppies, Papaver Orientalis - mine are just about to flower now. From white to pink, red, orange. Many with contrasting colours in the centre of the flower. Herbaceous.

Gaillardia have a broad colour range, for long summer periods of flowers.

Add some Hellebores for late winter, early spring colour:

Heeleborus Niger (Christmas 'Rose'), white flowers or Helleborus Orientalis - late spring, whtie,pinks, reds. Herbaceous, but usually carry leaves through the year.

Lupins are also showy flowering herbaceous plants, in a wide colour range. Easy.

I'd add some bulbs, for flowering next spring:usually purchased/planted from around August. Daffodills/Narcissus, Bluebells, Scilla Siberica, Crocus, large flowered and species types, for easly spring flowers.

Tulips are lovely, but can be prone to rot, as you're not sure of his soil type, might want to avoid. Best planted late autumn, even upto December.

Ref. ordering: I'd shop around, as you'll find variations in pricing. It's also a really good idea to select the plants yourself, as you can pick the healthiest - I know he's some way from you, but perhaps you could find some garden centres that are on your way, or local to him.

Hope these ideas help. I've chosen from what I grow and know are reasonably easy but showy plants.

Good luck! Rob

cold weather garden?

I am well familiar with dallas/ft woth area..I am in Florida now for 11 years but was born in Temple Texas, and raised and lived there 41 years..You can grow lettuce,cabbage,collard greens,swiss chard,turnip greens, mustard greens, cabbage,cauliflower,broccolli,brussel sprouts, radishes, carrots, celery, spinach, turnips, carrots, beets,on and on ..any leafy type veggie is usually a winter plant and your root crops as well..Heres excatly what to plant copied from the link below..

•Take care when gardening in the summer heat. Wear a hat, work in the early morning when possible and drink water before going outside to work.

•Keep removing faded flowers from annuals to encourage new growth and more flowers.

•For color to first frost, plant more warm-season annuals such as marigolds, zinnias and periwinkles.

•Sow broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, sweet corn, cucumber, okra and squash seeds during the first two or three weeks of the month. Although most vegetables need at least six hours of direct sunlight daily, the leafy vegetables in particular will appreciate some relief from the afternoon sun. If possible, position new crops so that more mature crops will shade them in the afternoons and protect them from the late-summer sun.

•Keep new seedbeds moist until plants germinate. Continue to water seedlings as they grow, but cut back on the frequency of watering as the plants get bigger. Deep, infrequent watering helps encourage strong root systems, but young plants may need more water while they are getting established. Mulch around seedlings as they develop to help conserve moisture and block weeds.

•Think containers: try planting in terra cotta pots, wooden troughs and barrels. Concentrate on smaller or more compact varieties, such as short, chunky carrot types rather than long, thin ones.

•Check every day for any ripe crops. Harvest all vegetables of edible size. Pick okra pods while they are small – no longer than your finger – and soft, pick summer squash and zucchini when the fruit is no more than 6 inches long and pick tomatoes when they have a red tinge to them. Green beans can be harvested when the are pencil-size and tender.

•Continue planting warm-season grasses.

•Turn the compost pile occasionally to help aerate the compost and speed up decomposition. If the compost is nearing completion, start a new pile so fall leaves will have a place to go.

•Start sowing Chinese cabbage and head lettuce seeds midmonth.

•Sow black-eyed peas, collars, parsley and Swiss chard seeds throughout the month.

•Treat for June beetle grubs as necessary. If you have four to 10 June beetle grubs per square foot of lawn, you may want to do something about them. Choose a pesticide labeled for white grub control or consider an organic control method, such as using beneficial nematodes.

•Control chinch bugs and flea problems with diatomaceous earth and pyrethrum products.

•Deter crickets by eliminating weeds and dense vegetation around the house foundation. Also clean up piles of bricks, stones, wood and other debris where crickets like to hide.

•Water the landscape deeply and thoroughly once a week in the absence of rain.

•Late in the month, set out broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower transplants.

•Start sowing kale, butterhead lettuce, spinach and turnip seeds the last week of August.

•Plant new irises or divide crowded existing ones. Plant irises in a sunny, well-drained area.

•Divide other spring-flowering perennials, such as Shasta daisy, gaillardia, day lilies and liriope.

•Plant mums, asters and other fall-blooming plants.

what plants/shrubs/trees are good to sow around june/july?

Any perennial would be fine. You can also work with plant clippings. Still early in the season for doing that. You can use a root hormone that is 5.00 at any home depot or lows store.

Most trees have no problem growing anytime of year. As long as the dirt is not frozen you can plant almost anytime of year.

I will highly recommend planting some bulbs. You might want to wait a couple of months. But most fall bulbs give a wonderful spring display.

Just remember that all annuals other then the pansy is not going to survive the winter. You always want to plant those early in the season for it's long display of color threw out the spring and summer season.