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June 2016
"If a June night could talk, it would probably
boast it invented romance"
Bern Williams (1929-2003)
Mid-Atlantic Weather Watch: Fair, warm (1, 2, 3) with storms and very warm (4, 5, 6); fair (7, 8, 9) with heavy rain (10, 11). Fair and windy, very warm (12, 13, 14, 15) with more storms, cooler (16, 17, 18, 19, 20); fair and warm (21, 22, 23) with periods of storms (24, 25, 26, 27, 28); very
warm, humid (29, 30).
Full Moon: June’s Full Moon will occur on Monday, June 20th (which also happens to be the Summer Solstice!). It has often been called Strawberry Moon because the first strawberries of the season become ripe for the picking (and eating!) in June. It has also been known as Rose Moon. Roses start to show their gorgeous blooms at the
beginning of the month!
Holidays: Celebrate Flag Day on Tuesday, June 14th by proudly flying ‘Old Glory’. Visit www.ushistory.org/betsy before you do to make sure you are displaying it properly. Father’s Day falls on Sunday, June 21st so plan a special day for dear old dad. A nice dinner out, tickets to a movie or his favorite sporting event, or just
spending some quality time with him will show him he is appreciated for all that he did to help you to become who you are.
The Garden: It’s not too late to start warm-season crops such as corn, beans, tomatoes, squash, peppers, and eggplant. Plant or sow summer annuals such as nasturtiums, vinca, verbena, geraniums, phlox, marigolds, lobelia, impatiens, cosmos, sunflowers, zinnias, and alyssum. Feed annuals and remove spent flowers to promote another
round of flowers. Feed roses after each bloom cycle, water regularly, and remove any spent flowers.
Additional pruning may be required in June of fast-growing plants, such as juniper, privet and yew. This will help promote new growth and also maintain a desirable shape during the growing season. Cut back perennials like Shasta daisy, black-eyed Susan, coneflower, and lavender after first bloom to encourage a second round of flowers in the
Fall. Cut back fuchsia, geranium, and margarite to encourage branching.
Stake tall, floppy flowers: foxglove, yarrow, bachelor’s buttons, carnations, and delphiniums. Watch for insects everywhere! When you see them (and you will!), immediately wash them or pick them off plants before they can lay eggs and multiply. Use fungicide where diseases usually are a problem, especially on roses. If you cut flowers for
fresh in-door arrangements early in the morning, they will stay fresher and more vibrant much longer.
J. Gruber’s Thought For Today’s Living
"Congratulating yourself is not the best evidence of success"
Index of Past Month's Entries
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