Besides making sure I get the weeds in check and continue to divide some perennials to share with friends, here is what is also on the list for June in Central Connecticut.
- National Pollinator Week – Mark your calendar: this year it is June 19-25. Wildflowers make a great addition to any garden, and are definitely pollinator friendly. For tips on adding them to your garden plans, click here. For my pollinator picks, click here.
- Vegetables – Edible planting continues into this month. Succession sowing is the way to keep vegetables going all summer. Beans, carrots, and herbs such as basil and cilantro are plants that can be sown every two weeks to keep a successive harvest.
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| Young gypsy moth caterpillars. |
- Hummingbirds – Keep hummingbirds coming back to your garden by offering a continuous bloom cycle. Click here to find out the plants that are especially alluring to these beauties.
- Pinch perennials – Pinch back perennials this month to maximize blossoming potential and to promote bushier growth. Learn how to do it here. Plants that fall into this category include bee balm, phlox, Montauk daisies and mums, to name a few. If you stagger the height of the plants in front, the ones in back will bloom first, which will maximize your flowering period.
- Pruning shrubs – You can give lilacs, rhododendrons and azaleas a shaping when they have finished blooming in order to prevent cutting off next year's flower buds. (This has to be done within four to six weeks in order to not stunt growth.)
- Seeds – It's not too late to sow! In growing areas such as mine, it's still OK to start many seeds now because they will grow quickly with the warm soil. I've sowed zinnias as late as July in my garden, but it's nicer to get them in the ground earlier so you can appreciate their blooms longer.
- Fruit Trees – To prevent breakage, make sure the proper supports are in place to support bending branches.
- Fertilize – At the beginning of the month, it's time to fertilize fruit trees, roses and vegetables (organically).
- Attract butterflies – Plant host plants of dill, fennel or carrots to attract black swallowtail butterflies. Plant milkweed or butterfly weed in the garden to attract monarch butterflies.
- Bulbs – Be sure to make sure that the foliage still gets some sunlight, otherwise the bulb will not be able to store food for next spring. Keep deadheading spent blooms and leave the foliage until the leaves wither away. My neighbor grows hostas over her daffodils in her shady driveway, which do a surprisingly good job of hiding the fading leaves. Daylilies serve the same purpose in a sunny location.
- Lavender – Check out my past interview with the lavender guru Denise Salafia where she offers tips on how to grow this (sometimes picky) herb successfully in your garden.
I live in Central Connecticut and garden in Zone 6b.
This post was originally published on June 8, 2021. Updated on June 8, 2023.
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