Northeast Gardener's June Checklist

Northeast Gardener's June Checklist

As stated by the Farmer’s Almanac, the summer solstice will occur on June 21 in 2013. As we approach that date, times lengthen gradually and our gardens eventually become full of activity and so do we. My automobile is generally loaded with plants from local sales or garden centers, as there are changes to make, fresh plants to develop.

Garden center displays are a great way to get ideas about plant mixes. Take some pictures for reference and inquire about things that may be new to you (there’s always something). What’s in peak bloom is usually front and center, because that is what sells; viewing the colors of flowers is extremely helpful once you’re arranging a composition.

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days are happening throughout the Northeast this month; tour public and private gardens and get layout ideas while supporting a great organization.

Paintbox Garden

Follow your passion. This purple meadow sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, zones 4 to 8; find your zone) has odd dark stalks and a lengthy period of bloom, and it’s one of my favorites (I adore purple). I love to combine it with frothy chartreuse woman’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis, zones 3 to 7) and Rozanne cranesbill (Geranium x ‘Rozanne’, zones 4 to 9) to get a cool color combination in a sunny border.

What’s your color passion?

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Grow clematis on a split-rail fence. Vines like honeysuckle and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) are aggressive and can be difficult to control, so if you are thinking of adding a vine into a weapon, choose a flowering clematis — it’ll be well behaved. That is ‘Candida’ (Clematis lanuginosa ‘Candida’, zones 4 to 9), a white cultivar that has enormous blooms. It’s growing on my own vegetable garden fence.

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Gardeners who love purple may like C. ‘President’, which provides huge blooms and produces a great screen on a trellis.

Clematis ‘Étoile Violette’ (zones 4 to 8) generates smaller (3- to 4-inch) violet flowers on new growth and blooms for a longer period. A buddy has it growing on both sides of the porch. It’s bushy and robust, and makes a fantastic privacy screen.

Sunflower Designs

Add some alliums. They are everywhere this past year, and it’s not tough to see why. With ideal round spheres of white or purple florets that stand tall, flowering onions (Allium spp) like ‘Globemaster’ and ‘Gladiator’ are all great additions to a mixed planting bed and are especially striking when the flowers fade; cut seed heads for flower structures at the month’s end (but leave the leaves to die back so bulbs have food to store for next year).

Plan to order alliums from the fall with other spring bulbs.

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It’s peony time, so grab your pruners. Peonies take center stage when they start this month — they are so beautiful, lush and fragrant. Invite your neighbours to cut blossoms and fill your home using mason jars of blossoms in luscious colors.

A word of advice: Do not bother with hoops or stakes; they aren’t necessary if you reduce the flowers when they are in bloom (or deadhead them shortly afterward). Remove the stalks from the plants; you will have mounds of deeply lobed foliage that looks great during the growing season.

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Romance the shade with layers of texture. If you have got a monoculture of Japanese pachysandra, periwinkle or English ivy in your shade garden, think about making a change.

Adding variegated perennials like Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’, zones 3 to 2) or Japanese forest grass will brighten up the shade and grab the eye. Look for the Very Small sprays of blue flowers arching over the milky leaves on the bugloss, named the 2012 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association.

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Decorate your beds. Hello there! I adore the way that this frog peeks from the ferns inside this neatly trimmed border, building a fun, playful focus. Now that summer’s here, you can place that lawn decoration out also. Perhaps you have an orb, a whirligig or a etched stone that says something. It’s your own refuge, whatever goes.

It’s also the season for yard sales — I have my eye out for an old wheelbarrow or wagon to utilize as a container.

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Notice the Information. Woodland gardens are at their peak this month — hostas have unfurled, also you will find spotted lungwort and bleeding heart, rhododendrons and native foamflower (Tiarella spp), together with airy wands of bugbane (Cimicifuga spp) on the road.

Masterwort (Astrantia major, zones 4 to 7), revealed here, brings delicate detail into the shade garden. Its blossoms appear now and continue through summer; the plant likes moist soil and partial sun, and it combines nicely with astilbe and ferns.

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Grow edible blossoms. Put nasturtiums in a window box, in a raised vegetable bed or along a sunny garden route, and give them space to grow. There are mounding types and others that trail or creep; pluck flowers to dress up salads and serving platters.

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Get inspiration in the work of other gardeners. Sometimes you need to break free in the weeding — seriously! Take a day away from garden chores, put on a clean pair of pants and go out to see what other men and women do. There are loads of options this month.

Garden tours are addictive — you are in the business of other plant lovers, and there’s always a lot to understand. Happy travels.

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