1. Plant perennials: – Why? Because so many perennial plants are just now starting to bloom and local nursery and garden centers should be stocked with more varieties at this time of year than any other. In case you didn’t know, “perennials” are plants that come back year after year. Some are evergreen while others will lose their foliage or die back to the ground when winter arrives. Perennials are great because they can be useful to add vibrant splashes of color and texture anywhere in the landscape and/or can be mixed together in “perennial gardens” of various types: butterfly gardens, hummingbird gardens, cut flower gardens, English gardens, shade gardens, rock gardens and the list goes on and on. The flower and foliage colors and textures of perennials are endless and there are so many varieties you can have something blooming at all times of the year, even winter!
Whatever the situation or need, there is a perennial plant that fits! There are sun-loving perennials and shade loving perennials; wet soil perennials and dry soil perennials; butterfly attracting perennials and hummingbird attracting perennials. There are spring flowering perennials, summer flowering perennials, fall flowering perennials, and even winter flowering perennials. And then there’s long blooming perennials that bloom from spring to frost. Got deer? No problem. There are many deer resistant perennials that deer turn their nose up to. There are fragrant perennials for adding sensory appeal to your garden, and cut flower perennials you can use for fresh or dried flower arrangements. Need to fill the gaps between stepping stones or pavers, there are creeping perennial plants to fill them. See, we weren’t kidding. There’s a perennial plant for every situation!
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2. Plant a Lawn: If you want to plant a new Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine, Zoysia or other warm season lawn grass from seed or sod June is one of the best times of the year to do so. Early planting gives these grasses more time to establish themselves before the cool season. When planting a bermuda lawn from seed make sure to use “turf-type” bermuda seed. ‘Common Bermuda’ is best suited for pastures. Turf-type Bermuda grasses, such as ‘Sahara’, display excellent overall turf quality similar to that of Tifway Bermuda 419 sod.
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3. Plant Flowers: June is a great time to plant seasonal flower beds and container gardens that will add vibrant splashes of beautiful, eye-catching color to be enjoyed by you and your visitors on July 4th and other special occasions and events during the summer months. As July rolls around there will be fewer flowering annuals available at local nursery and garden centers, so get and plant them during June! The choices of flower colors and foliage textures are endless. Follow the links below to get some great tips and ideas for designing and planting beautiful flower gardens that will be the envy of all your neighbors!
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4. Plant Shrubs and Trees: June is a great time to plant all types of evergreen and flowering shrubs and trees. Soil temperatures are warmer and new plants will root in fast. If you need some help with landscape design, check out Do-It-Yourself Landscape Design Tips & Ideas, or consult with one of our professional landscape designers at Wilson Bros Landscape. You can check out many of the shrubs, trees, ornamental grasses, roses and more that we carry at the Nursery on our online store at WilsonBrosGardens.com.
NOTE: Due to shipping, handling and packaging costs, the prices for plants in our online store are higher than at the nursery in McDonough. Also, we carry many, many more plants at the Nursery than are listed in our online store, and a few of the plants in our online store, such as Bamboo, are not available at the Nursery. Call us to confirm availability. (770)954-9862
5. Plant Tropical Plants: If you want to bring a touch of the tropics to your Georgia gardens there’s no better way to do that than with tropical plants such as Hibiscus and Mandevilla.
1. Fertilize warm season lawn’s: If you have yet to feed your Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine or Zoysia lawn it’s time to do so. If you are on one of the Wilson Bros DIY Lawn Care Programs it is now time for Step 3. If you have existing weeds growing in your lawn and would like to eliminate these you can apply a weed & feed product or use a weed killer spray separately to control weeds. Just make sure to get the right weed control products for your type of lawn grass. Use only a weed killer containing Atrazine on Centipede and St. Augustine lawns. If you are uncertain as to your lawn type bring samples in a plastic baggie to the nursery and we’ll identify them for you.
CAUTION: If you are planning on overseeding your Bermuda or Centipede lawn within the next 8 weeks, do not use a weed & feed fertilizer or one containing a weed preventer. Instead, use a lawn starter fertilizer at seeding time.
2. Fertilize Annual Flowers: If your annual flowers growing in flower beds or container gardens look a little or a lot pale they could probably use a feeding with a good flower food. For the quickest results you can use a liquid plant food such as Jack’s Classic. If plants such as petunias or sun coleus have stretched (become leggy), to get them bushy and flowering heavy again give them a good pruning by cutting them halfway back or more. Just make sure to leave some leaves on the stems.
SEE: How To Fertilize Annual Flowers
3. Fertilize Perennial Plants: If your perennial plants are looking a little pale and not flowering like they should, fertilizer them now with a good flower fertilizer or natural or organic plant food. If you’re unsure as to the nutritional needs of a specific type of plant don’t hesitate to ask us any questions you might have when you’re at the Nursery, or contact us here.
SEE: How To Fertilize Perennial Plants >
4. Fertilize Roses: If you haven’t fertilized your roses yet, go ahead and fertilize them as directed on the product label. We feed our roses with Fertilome Rose & Flower Food, which contains a systemic insecticide. Alternatively you can feed your roses with a natural ororganic plant food.
5. Fertilize Shrubs and Trees: If any of your shrubs and/or trees are looking a little pale fertilize them now with a well-balanced shrub & tree type fertilizer, such as Fertilome Tree & Shrub Food, or a “goof proof,” non-burning natural plant food such as Nitroganic Organic Fertilizer. Follow application instructions on the product label.
6. Correct chlorosis affecting plants or lawn grasses: If your Centipede lawn or the foliage on some of your shrubs and trees is looking a little light-green or yellowish-green, there are minerals you can apply to green them back up.
Lawns – Ever wonder how sod farms deliver that lush, dark green Centipede sod that looks like Fescue at its prime? Answer is: they apply extra doses of iron. If your Centipede lawn has yellowed, or is not green enough for your liking, apply granular iron with a broadcast spreader. At Wilson Bros. Nursery, we recommend Hi-Yield Iron Plus because it contains a whopping 16% Iron and 13% Sulfur for deep greening. Other iron products often contain much smaller amounts.
Shrubs & Trees – For shrubs and trees you can apply Iron Plus, Soil Sulfur, or Aluminum Sulfate. Make sure to always follow instructions found on product label.
7. Apply Pelletized Lime to Lawns: If you have had trouble growing a healthy and beautiful bermuda, bluegrass, fescue or zoysia lawn it could have to do with the pH of the soil. Bermuda, bluegrass, fescue or zoysia lawn grasses thrive in soil with a neutral pH between 6.5 and 7. When the pH is acid (between 4.5 and 6.5) the root systems of these types of grasses cannot uptake nutrients and the grass will suffer. Application of lime can be applied to adjust the pH. On the other hand, centipede and St Augustine lawns prefer an acid soil.
SEE: About Soil pH and How to Test and Adjust It >
8. Watch for water needs: Summer means hotter and sometimes drier weather. If there isn’t sufficient rainfall, keep an eye on plants, trees and your lawn to make sure they are receiving enough water. Wilting and discoloring of foliage is a sure sign of stress from lack of water. Provide adequate water for plants that stress during prolonged periods of dry weather. It is best to water from early to mid-morning. Never water your lawn or the foliage of plants during the late evening hours as this can promote development of damaging fungus. If you have a sprinkler system set the timer to begin watering no earlier than 5 AM. Too, keep in mind that it’s better to deep soak the ground less often than to splash just a little water on plants every day.
To help retain moisture in the soil and reduce watering apply a layer of shredded wood mulch around the root systems of plants growing in garden beds and in containers.
SEE: How To Water A Lawn
1. Deadhead Annual & Perennial Flowers: Keep your flowering perennials, annuals, roses and other flowering plants tidy by snipping or pinching off spent flowers. Doing so will also encourage a fuller, healthier plant that produces more flowers throughout the season.
SEE: How To Deadhead Flowering Plants
2. Prune Shrubs: During the hot summer you don’t want to do any heavy pruning on ornamental shrubs and trees. That said, you can always snip a stray branch here or there that is spoiling the shape of the plant or remove damaged or dying branches. Too, you can deadhead spent flowers on summer flowering shrubs, many of which are excellent for dried flower arrangements, such as hydrangea.
SEE: All Pruning Articles
3. Remove Sucker Growths From Trees: Suckers are those pesky shoots that emerge from the base of fruit trees, crape myrtles and other types of trees. Because they can rob valuable energy, make sure to cut them off with a sharp pair of hand pruners as soon as you see them.
Keep an eye out for damaging insects The vast majority of bugs that will visit our landscape do no harm. Some, such as ladybugs, are actually beneficial because they eat or run off the bad bugs. And, of course, there are the beautiful pollinators such as butterflies that we want to keep around. That said, there are a few bugs that can wreak havoc in our landscape and gardens.
This time of year it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for damaging insects and take steps to control them as quickly as possible. If the leaves of your plants are curling or discoloring, or something has been chewing on them this is an indicator that damaging insects might be present. When inspecting your plants, make sure to look on the undersides of leaves because this is where common types of insects such aphids and lacebugs like to hide out during the day. Other insects, such as scale and mealybug are easier to see.
If insects are found, make sure to positively identify them before spraying with an insecticide. If you’re unsure about the type of bug you’re seeing either take a picture and send it to us for identification or bring a specimen to the nursery. Just make sure it’s in a sealed jar or plastic bag! We’ll be happy to identify it for you and provide the best suggestions for control, if necessary.
TIP: When using an insecticidal control, if possible, use the safest insecticide you can find, such as organic neem oil, and spray during the early morning or late evening hours (just before dark) when the beneficial pollinators aren’t active.
SEE: All Insect & Disease Control Articles
Watch for fungus on plants and in the lawn: During hot and rainy summers the chance for fungal development and other diseases on plants increases. If expanding brown patches or circular rings of a light gray ash-like substance are forming in your lawn, this could indicate the presence of a damaging fungus. If so, broadcast a granular lawn fungicide or spray with a liquid fungicide. If you see a powdery white or orange substance develop on the leaves of plants, this could be powdery mildew or rust. These common diseases can be effectively controlled by spraying with a solution containing Neem oil. If you cannot identify a disease, bring a sample to the nursery and we’ll be happy to identify the fungus or disease and provide a good remedy.
SEE: All Insect & Disease Control Articles
Get Control Of Those Weeds! – When weed preventers are not used, weeds can get out of control during the warmer summer months. It’s never too late to get a weed preventer on the ground but once weeds have sprouted they either have to be pulled or sprayed, unless you want to live in a weed jungle:-)
SEE:
How To Prevent & Kill Weeds in the Lawn
How To Control Weeds in the Vegetable Garden
How To Stop Bamboo Plants From Spreading
How To Prevent and Control Weeds in a Flower Bed Garden
Adjust your mower deck to a higher setting As the temperatures go higher so should your lawn grass, especially if you don’t provide supplemental irrigation during dry periods of summer. Adjust the height of your mower to leave at least an extra inch or two of height on cool season lawn grasses such as fescue and bluegrass, and maybe an extra half-inch to inch for warm season grasses such as Bermuda, Centipede and Zoysia. Lawn grasses store water in their foliage so leaving the grass taller helps the grass to retain moisture to fight summer heat and dry spells.
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