‘horticultural how-to and woo-woo’
the source for organic gardening inspiration
margaret roach, head gardener
IF IT EVER RAINS PROPERLY here, I know what I plan to do: divide and conquer! (Conquer beds, that is, with divided-up groundcovers.) A recap of some favorites that I rely on:
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ← May | Jul → | |||||
1June 1, 2012succession sow vegetablesCONTINUE SOWING carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, dill, cilantro (remember what herb expert Rose Marie Nichols McGee told us about the three plants she grows for all-year “cilantro”). With salad, select heat-resistant varieties, and sow small amounts every 10 days. The shadier side of a tomato row or your pole beans, for instance, is nice for lettuce now…not baking sun. DIRECT-SOW A SHORT ROW OF BUSH BEANS every two weeks, and sow pole beans for a later crop. Whether for eating fresh or drying, here’s how to grow beans. Did squash, cucumbers, melons go in? | 2June 2, 2012weed, weed, weedMAKE A PASS through each garden bed each week, since weeds are not just unsightly but steal moisture, nutrients and light from desired plants. Apply mulch to all beds to help in the plight. First: Learn to identify your opponents. Help with weed ID. | 3June 3, 2012hill up white potatoes, plant sweetSWEET POTATOES, despite their heat-loving nature, can grow in all 50 states, and late spring is the perfect planting time. The how-to, in detail. DID YOU HILL UP your white potatoes? |
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4June 4, 2012prune lilacs; more deadheadsSPRING-FLOWERING SHRUBS like lilacs get pruned now. Later pruning (after July 4th in my Zone 5B Northeastern location) risks damage to emerging buds for next year’s blooms. Clean up unsightly deadheads of other big bloomers like rhododendron if you care to, and things that don’t make showy fruit next–anything where leaving behind the faded blooms just looks messy. With fruiting things (roses that make nice hips, viburnums, you get the idea…) faded flowers are left intact to set beautiful, bird-feeding fruit. | 5 | 6 | 7June 7, 2012support vines, order bulbsARE ANNUAL VINES getting the support they need, whether twine, wire, lattice? What about perennial ones like clematis? All my vine-related stories are here to browse, and expert tips from Dan Long of GardenVines [dot] com are in this Q&A. ORDER BULBS this month to get varieties you want (see Sources for bulb vendors). Remember our “early, middle, late” mantra when doing so. | 8June 8, 2012perennial haircuts in order?SOME PERENNIALS MAY be so tired they need a full cutback now or soon. My perennial geraniums, particularly the great groundcover Geranium macrorrhizum and extra-handsome G. phaeum, are like that. You sometimes have to make things worse for the garden to look better in the long run. | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12June 12, 2012weed asparagus, garlic (eat scapes!)KEEP ASPARAGUS and garlic well-weeded; let asparagus grow lots of ferns the rest of the summer into fall as harvest ends. If you’re growing hardneck garlic, as I do, the delicious “extra” crop of their scapes (flowering stalks) will be coming in right about now up North. | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18June 18, 2012has a soaking rain fallen?GARDENS NEED an inch of water a week from you or the heavens. Check your rain gauge to make sure they get it, and remember: Soak deeply in the root zone. Don’t spritz things with a sprayer now and again like you’re washing the car. That’s a garden no-no. Pots need extra attention, especially smallish ones in sun, and they also need regular feeding. Be alert! What? Didn’t plant up any pots yet? Plenty of time still; here’s the container garden 101. | 19 | 20June 20, 2012first day of summerTODAY AT 7:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time the summer of 2012 officially begins. Feels like it already had arrived around here in late May, with bouts of heat and humidity that rushed spring out the door. | 21 | 22June 22, 2012mow smart and oftenDON’T BAG OR RAKE clippings when you mow; let them lie on the lawn to return Nitrogen to the soil…unless you waited too long between mowings, that is. Mow frequently if grass is growing fast (I’m at twice-weekly now because we have had heat and rain); never remove more than one-third of the blade of grass at any one mowing. | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
Welcome! I’m Margaret Roach, a leading garden writer for 25 years—at "Martha Stewart Living," "Newsday," and in 3 books. I host a public-radio show; lecture and hold tours, and always say no to chemicals and yes to great plants.
A garden without a gardener is a jungle waiting to happen. A gardener without a garden is likewise a sorry sight indeed.
‘never stop wanting more plants, my garden mentor instilled in me 20-plus years ago, regularly reminding me of another gardener, past 90, who still lusts for every new thing he can get a cutting of. I promise not to, until I myself am back in the soil.’
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I am a new gardener just starting out and would like to invite you to my blog.
Welcome, Madeline. I’ve linked your name back to your url. Nice to meet you — and I will come have a visit. :)
I will not be able to make it to your talk at Cylburn in Baltimore tomorrow night. Spring is a busy time on the farm, and I must be here to get seeds in the ground. And I’d just fall asleep if I tried to attend and hear you. Have fun!
Oh, you cost me so much money, do you know that? Every time you post something new, I just know I’ll be throwing money at a nursery somewhere. Luckily, I think I’ve got everything posted here covered. But seriously, thank you. I have learned a ton from you and I think my newly acquired but heavily neglected yard will thank you as well.
Thank you for this post so much specific info. Dale
Some nice suggestions, one can never have too much ground cover.
Our garden is maturing quite nicely now so we are able to create new lower levels for planting as shrubs and trees are getting much taller.
Hi, Gaz. I am dividing and spreading madly over here. Must reduce bare spots! :)
Hi, Margaret! Just found your site and this post, and was initially all mad that I didn’t find it last week before my trek to the garden center for plants for my new shady beds. Now I feel smug because I actually just bought a lot of your recommended plants. Now if I only had any kind of knack for arranging them…
Hi, Potato Queen. Great minds think alike. :) Nice to see you and hear about your shopping expedition. Sounds very successful!