Pacific Northwest Gardens in June
Now’s the time to prune pines and vines, prevent pests and buy June-blooming plants to keep your garden healthy and beautiful
The problem is caused by calcium deficiency. It’s most common in areas where the growing season starts out wet and then dries out over the summer.
Prevent this issue by watering deeply on a regular schedule. Soaker hoses are best because sprinklers that water tomato foliage can cause another disease, called late blight.
You can also treat the plants with calcium to prevent or manage blossom-end rot. Eggshells and bone meal are natural sources that can be incorporated into the soil around each tomato plant. There are also commercially available sprays that contain calcium chloride or calcium carbonate to solve this issue. The plant can soak up the nutrient through its foliage for an instant boost.
Of course, if new shoots are growing in the wrong direction and can’t be tied in gracefully, feel free to snip them off right at the stem where they start. Vines can look wild if not carefully tended.
Feed roses for a long season of bloom. While roses are a staple of the classical garden, many rose varieties, especially hybrid teas, need regular care to perform well.
Simply use your pruners to cut each emerging candle by one-third, one-half or entirely off, depending on whether you’d like it to grow a little more slowly, a lot more slowly, or not grow at all that year. You can even plan the future shape of your pines by removing some candles, cutting others by half and leaving some to grow. This technique allows you to choose which branches get taller and which stay the same size.
June’s sunshine makes such a nice change from the usual Northwest rain that this is an ideal time to enjoy the garden — whether working in it or just relaxing.