Ahhh June. My garden in June is a magical thing to behold. It is a month filled with matured seedlings, budding flowers and and fresh herbs, FINALLY. Most plants are just starting to reach their full beauty and very few flowers have gone to seed.
This is a post of pure garden appreciation. I'll give a few important tips along the way, but just sit back and enjoy to visual splendor of a June garden in all of its glory.
Tip #1 - Relocating Iris:
If you plan to move some of your iris around, June is a good month for that. Wait for your flowers to finish blooming and then expire. Dig them out carefully, leaving the rhizomes (iris bulb) and the roots as intact as possible and replant them roots down, in shallow dirt, just covering the base with dirt. Prune off all of the flowers and water it in thoroughly.
To me, June is a month in celebration of iris, peonies, sweet rocket, daisies, poppies, and herbs, to name just a few. I have about 8 different varieties of iris in my garden and it is so rewarding to see the color spectrum as they take their turns blooming.
Tip #2 - Deadhead:
Deadheading expired blossoms is very important to the growth of your plants. Making seeds is an exhaustive process for a plant, so it is usually best to trim or cut off the dead flower heads. This allows your plant to focus its growth energy on its roots, giving you a much larger plant the next year... plus, it just looks nicer to cut the dead away.
Tip #3 - Fertilizing:
As we enter into the hotter months, it is an important time to give your flowers, herbs, and vegetables a boost! Fertilize as much as your particular brand recommends. I use a people and pet friendly option that I think gives wonderful results - Dr. Earth. They have several different Dr. Earth options but I use both the flower fertilizer and the vegetable fertilizer.
Tip #4 - Peonies... oh the peonies.
This was the first year I used tomato cages to hold them up and they worked perfectly. Better than true peony cages I think if you have a very tall plant as I do.
They are a true favorite of mine this year and have been absolutely stunning!
Tip #5 - First Herb Harvest:
A lot of your herbs will likely be ready for their first harvest at this point, especially any perennials like thyme and oregano.
Clip, wash, dry and hang them to start your dried herbs stockpile for the winter!
That's it for this post, folks. I hope you enjoyed seeing my garden and happy June!
All photography by Jessie Alice Smith