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June 2010 In The Garden Swan River Gardens |
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Can it really be the middle of June already? Summer sure seems to have taken its sweet time getting here!! Of course it arrives officially on June 21st but here at Swan River Gardens we hope your garden is in, the annuals are planted and your containers & window boxes are full! We have sent a lot of plants out the door into your hands and we hope you are enjoying them as much as we enjoyed growing them.
Our crew would like to thank everyone for the kind comments on our new look at Swan River Gardens. We have had a lot of fun coming up with new ideas and all of the compliments have been very positive. We really appreciate the encouragement! Here are some ideas and tips for June to keep you gardening at full speed.
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Your Chore List for June
While May is the busiest month in the garden, June is certainly a close second in the 'things that make you feel crazy busy' sweepstakes. Add in graduations, weddings, reunions, camping, fishing, hiking........and you had better prioritize your garden time to make the most of it. Thank heaven for the longer days! Here are a few things you should try to accomplish before June 30th rolls by.
Check automated irrigation systems for performance. Homeowners often assume that installed systems continue working exactly as they were installed year after year. This just is not the case. Sprinkler heads can be knocked out of aim or become clogged. Water amounts that are fine for August may be far too much for the cooler, wetter days of June. Since many systems run at night homeowners may not see problems until plants start to suffer from over or under watering. You should turn systems on and observe all emitters working once a month all summer long and anytime you suspect a plant is suffering from improper watering.
Go on DEFCON alert with your fruit shrubs and trees. Every critter in the forest and underbrush is eyeing your harvest. Put netting over the strawberry patch to deter birds. Notorious thieves such as Robins will beat you to the ripest berries if they can get to them. Set out saucers of beer, that's right, beer, to trap slugs that are inching their way towards your luscious fruit for a snack. You may want to throw netting over fruit trees to prevent bird damage too. We used to hang shiny pie tins in cherry trees to scare birds off, now we hang old cd's that flutter in the wind and get the job done. Raccoons love blueberries as much as you do. You can easily put wire cages over small shrubs and foil the masked bandits.
We're assuming you understand the on- going battle with deer and are using repellents, fencing, voodoo sticks, everything in the cupboard. Come see us for Coyote urine granules you can shake on the ground around edibles instead of stinky sprays. Swan River Gardens carries an arsenal of deer repellants you can arm yourself with.
Tie up Raspberry canes so fruit gets sunshine to ripen and air to prevent disease. Come see us for the how-to's. Cut the flower stalks that appear in June off your Rhubarb plants so they do not waste energy on flowers and put more into producing roots and shoots. Give blueberry bushes a cup of aluminum sulfate each to maintain soil pH on the acidic side of the scale. Put clean straw under strawberry plants to keep weeds down, keep soil cool and keep berries clean.
Stake up vulnerable perennials such as tall delphiniums and hollyhocks before summer storms beat them up. Bamboo stakes can be used for many years if you store them over winter. The new soft rubber tie Swan River Gardens carries is also reusable and works like a charm. Large floppy perennials like Russian Sage or Oriental Poppies appreciate box or ring type supports so their flowers can stay upright in rainstorms. Push four stakes in the ground around plants and string strong twine around them to make simple supports.
See our additional articles in this newsletter on weed control and deadheading annuals & perennials for some more additions to your chore list. Above all get out and enjoy all the hard work you are doing and spend time in your garden! One peaceful morning or evening can make the hard work melt away and make the pleasures of gardening open up to you. Never forget to smell the roses!
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Deadheading (and no Jerry Garcia will not be there....) 
You may hear seasoned gardeners refer to a plant as needing 'deadheading' to continue producing flowers. Deadheading refers to removing spent flowers so the plant will continue to flower rather than put energy into producing seeds. In annuals, African Daisies (Osteospermum) and Geraniums (Pelargonium) are notorious for needing old flowers pinched off to maintain a good bloom display. Petunias simply demand it and shut down flowering if they are not kept happy. In fact, most annuals perform better if they are kept pinched and tidy. Very few are what we call 'self cleaning'.
For perennials such as Columbine or Salvia, deadheading will prolong their bloom duration by weeks. It is typically recommended that you cut off entire flower stalks on all perennials once the show is over. The exception is when you wish the plant to reseed as is the case with short lived perennials like Foxglove. Allowing the flowers to turn to seed insures a hardy patch of plants for coming years and provides seedlings in spring to transplant to other locales.
Simply take your thumb and forefinger and grasp the stem of the spent flower below the flower head. Move your fingers down the stem to where it comes off the main stem and pinch there. Nearly all annuals and perennials can be deadheaded using just a pinch. If you need to use scissors or pruners put the stem between the two blades and slide the tool down to the cut point. Once you are used to this method you will find deadheading goes very fast with few mistakes.
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Weed Killers
 June is a great month to get to weed spraying and keep weeds from getting established on your property. If you find yourself overwhelmed by all the products that are out there, here is a simple primer on the two basic chemicals that you will find in nearly all chemical products.
Glyphosate is the general chemical name for the widely known RoundUp® brand weed killer. It is sold under many other names and if you see the word Glyphosate on the ingredients label, you are getting this product. It is an all purpose soft tissue (herbaceous) plant killer and is meant to be used on plants in areas where you are not trying to save any plants.
It does not kill shrubs or trees and can be used to kill weeds growing around them. Some shrubs and trees are sensitive to exposure to this chemical however so it is important to READ THE FULL LABEL for any cautions listed about shrubs or trees to avoid spraying near them. Glyphosate breaks down in sunlight but can migrate through the soil and cause problems. You would not use it to kill weeds in flower beds or the lawn because it will kill both perennials and lawn grass. It typically takes a week or more for the full effect of the chemical to look apparent to the eye. It is not an instant kill. Areas can be replanted as indicated on the label of the product you are using.
2 - 4 - D is the abbreviated name for 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and is found in well known products such as Ortho's Weed Be Gone®. It is commonly referred to as a 'broad leaf' weed killer. 2 - 4 - D is safe to use for killing weeds in your lawn because it does not kill grass and so that is the most common use for it. It can also be useful in large areas where weeds are competing with desirable grasses such as pastures. You will typically see results within 24 hours and complete kill in about a week. Spot treating weeds in your lawn with 2 - 4 - D and then fertilizing your grass for vigorous growth is the most effective method of keeping your lawn weed free.
Weed and feed combination type products often use chemicals for both weed killing and fertilizing that are temperature sensitive. The weed killing chemical in particular does not activate here in Montana until most weeds are well on their way and the fertilizer requires even warmer temperatures to release meaning the product you put on your lawn in April or May is not doing anything until the warmer temperatures of late May or even June.
We strongly recommend spot treating early with broad leaf weed killer. 2 - 4 - D can be used around shrubs and trees but again, some trees and shrubs are very sensitive to it and can be damaged. Lilac shrubs and red maples are both highly susceptible to damage from this chemical and repeated application can lead to their early demise. As always it is vital to READ THE ENTIRE LABEL.
Organic solutions are always a choice and it would be remiss of us to not delve into organic weed killing products but there is really only one thing to remember. All of them are contact kills meaning they kill whatever they come into contact with. There are no organic selective weed killers. Additionally some types can cause damage to trees and shrubs. You can find formulations made from citrus oils, vinegars, herb essential oils, wax by products and many, many others. We are not dismissing these products, many of them are quite effective but the sheer variety of substances used prevents us from listing too many specifics. It is very important to remember that they will kill everything they are sprayed on.
We do urge you to do your homework however. Some products that are labeled organic or natural are not harmless. Acetic acid (also know as plain old vinegar) is a great weed killer but it is highly corrosive and its effect on soil pH can damage valuable plants. Additionally some companies are taking advantage of consumer enthusiasm for 'green' products and stretching the facts a wee bit about products labeled 'natural'. Be a pro-active consumer and investigate the product you are using to make sure it is all it claims to be.
Remember to read the full label of any chemical you are using and follow the directions. More is not better and can cause harm to plants you want to save. Avoid spraying on windy days or when rain is expected within 24 hours. Chemicals will keep from year to year if they are stored where they do not freeze in winter. Don't use sprayers that you use to treat bugs for weed killers. One sprayer for treating plants. Another sprayer for killing plants. And one last time, please read the full label!!!
Come see us anytime for solutions to your weed problems. The Swan River Gardens experts are happy to help you with any questions you may have. |
Rain Rain Go Away
 We want to say a little bit about the weather. But this is a family newsletter so we will hold back what we're thinking and just say we hope the sun is shining when you are reading this. A wet June is practically a Montana tradition so this rain is not truly unusual. It has even been a little warmer than typical and, cross your fingers, a relatively frost free spring.
If you bravely planted your annuals they may be looking a little beat up or soggy. The lack of sunlight has made plants struggle. For most annuals some sunshine and warmth will help them to snap out of their doldrums. We have noticed in our outside plantings that the plants seem to be unchanged in size from the day they were put in the pots or ground. Flowers that were vibrant are mushy and need to be plucked off. Doing so should help your annuals get right back to growing when the sun comes out again. Container plantings in shade can be moved into the sun for a day to give them a boost of warmth and help the soil to dry out. You may find that some plants will need replacing but give them all a chance with at least a few days of sun before pulling them out.
In the garden seeds may have rotted in over wet soil before they had a chance to germinate. If you planted seeds and they have not germinated within two weeks you will probably have to replant.
On the other hand the weeds are happily lapping up every drop of water they can and growing, well like weeds. Get out there before the soil dries and pull as many weeds as you can while it is easier. When you finish come see us for pre-emergent weed treatment options to keep additional weed seeds from coming up.
And everybody, think sunshine!! Warmth! Summer! All together now! SUNSHINE!
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We hope you are headed into summer with your garden chores under control and finding time for fun. Come see us for that one more plant you know you need! Everything still looks great and we have plenty on hand.
Don't forget Father's Day on June 19th. See our specials listed below for gift ideas for Dad.
Happy Summer!!
Sincerely,
Tamus Gannon
Swan River Gardens
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Little Sprouts Class, Saturday June 19th
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Fathers Day $25 Fruit Tree Sale
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175 Swan River Rd
Bigfork, Montana 59911 |
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