It was always too early on one of the first weekends of Summer Break that my mom would joyously bust through the door with a song on her lips (some made up hymn celebrating the many virtues of either physical work, rising early, or the unrivaled joy of doing some forced voluntary task for your mother) to ease my brother and me into the reality that we would be spending the day spreading mulch that would be arriving any moment from a random landscape supply company.

And before you ask, yes, I did lock my door. It wasn’t until I was 17, however, that I discovered the closet doors actually lacked that little hole in the knob, thus thwarting an over zealous mother from sticking a straightened wire hanger into them to unlock, and subsequently harass me whenever she deemed necessary. Which for the record was all the time. Before I switched the door knobs, she basically carried around a wee bit of hanger she had fastened into a skeleton key for all the doors in the house. After I switched the knob, she began to use the door as a drum to keep time for her insane, inane, and irritating ditties. The moral here; don’t try to win against a manic mother. It isn’t possible.

After her triumph was clear, I’d drag myself downstairs and outside where some guy in a truck had left a steaming pile of shredded mulch. Mom would perch herself on the front steps, coffee in one hand, a trowel in the other, a fully formed delusion that she would be working along side us, and begin bossing…I’m sorry…DELIGATING. My brother and I would then spend most of the day moving mulch into the yard beds until she was satisfied. Then she would stand up, brush off her butt and say something like “wasn’t that fun? Who wants pizza?”

Most mothers don’t like to hear objections. Mine was no different. But more than objections, my mom hated to hear that she was wrong about anything. But I can tell you with utmost certainty that she was wrong to make us mulch in June. She should have had us do it in May. May is for mulching. And many other things. So let’s get started.

General Tasks

I may have not made it clear, but you should be mulching. And weeding. Weed first, then mulch. Mulching suppresses weeds, keeps roots cool and moist, maintains soil health, and (this is an increasingly helpful thing) prevents rain compaction. Rain compaction is the phenomenon where bare soil becomes increasingly hard and compacted because of the pressure of rain hitting it over and over again. So yeah…mulch. It’s good for you and your garden.

Let’s talk about mulch, actually.

There’s been a proliferation of homes in my area using dyed mulch. I won’t go into my design snobbiness about these. Not everyone’s aesthetic is the same. I appreciate that. However, when it comes to soil health, I’m downright judgmental, and I’ll explain.

Mulch is harvested in a variety of ways, most of which are by products of lumber milling. A tree is cut, sent to a mill, and made into building material. The off pieces, small branches, and disfigured pieces are stripped, shredded, and made into mulch. Except dyed mulches.

Dyed mulches come from lumber that has outlived it’s usefulness. Warped fence posts, scrap building lumber, and worn out pallets and run through an industrial chipper, screened for nails, and then dyed. The dyes aren’t generally great for soil, but the chemical treatments of the pallets and building lumber are down right toxic. Arsenic, copper, and other chemicals are infused into the wood to prevent decay by insects and fungus. Insects and fungus are actually imperative to healthy soil. Without them, soil becomes sterile, compact, and depleted. Without fungus, the ability of plants to take up nutrients and even water drops dramatically.

I advise using natural mulches, like pine bark, pine fines, oak, and such. I also advise against cypress as it is a slow growing wood and the harvesting of cypress isn’t very sustainable. There is also little evidence that it deters insects like many a nursery espouse.

A great way of making your mulch last longer is to lay your new mulch on top of the old. The microbes in your soil should be continuously breaking down the organic matter on the surface of the soil. Placing new mulch on top of the old keeps these microbes breaking down the old mulch before they start on the new mulch. You can also shred your fall leaves and use this as a layer of mulch as well. I love doing this in the fall. After a few rainfalls, the leaves get stitched together by decomposing lignins and mycorrhiza to form a paper like sheet of protection from both weeds and cold.

Perennials and Annuals

If you haven’t already setup peony cages, do so now. Peony cages are wire grids that allow peonies and other floppy flowering perennials to grow through them and offer extra support for the flowers, many of which have been selectively bred (not genetically engineered) to have large showy flowers, sometimes beyond the ability of the plants to support them. Even plants that can support their flowers can benefit from a cage or a stake when we get our torrential rains in the Spring and Summer.

Cutting back many aster and chrysanthemum perennials now will give you a bigger show in the fall. At each cut site, two or more stems will form. Allow these to grow and then cut those as well in June/July. What we are doing here is creating more auxiliary buds, which create the tissue that will become a flower in the fall. More auxiliary buds means more flowers. More flowers means a better sense of accomplishment, right?

In your annual beds and mixed borders, it is time to sow your warm season flowering annuals. Good choices for our area are zinnias, cosmos, celosia, cleome, morning glory (if you must), nasturtium, coleus, marigold, and sunflowers. There are several annuals that do grow now, but should have been started in fall, such as foxglove, delphinium, and poppies (basically my favorites. I also do better in fall than late spring. So maybe that is why).

Trees

If you planted a new tree within the last two years, continue to monitor rain fall. We want to aim for about 1-2 inches of rain a week while trees are growing. This gives them what they need to create healthy leaves for catching sun and converting it to food. If it is dry, irrigate so your trees grow healthy and strong (and capture the excess carbon in the air).

Trees like persimmons, gingko, crepe myrtle, figs, and a few others may try to sucker right now. Suckering is when a tree sends off a shoot from the base to become a new tree. Go ahead and clip these off. First, a tree that is allowed to sucker will often perform poorly, diverting resources to the sucker, making the tree more of a large bush. Second, some trees are grafted (meaning the top is a more productive or valuable species, and the root is a hardier species, giving us the best of both worlds) and allowing the sucker to grow will actually overtake the upper grafted species. Roses will also do this. Which reminds me…

Roses

During this busy time, I definitely need to remind myself to stop and smell the roses. And then get to fertilizing them.

Roses are needy. Much like natural selection leads plants to create outlandish displays to attract their favorite pollinator/propagator (watch any documentary on orchids), roses appeal to their favorite pollinator through color, scent, and design. It’s us, btw. We are their favorite pollinator. And in the journey to create more elaborate, perfumey, and interesting plants, we created a spoiled brat that will pitch a fit if we neglect them. So here is how we care for our attention seeking roses.

Feed them. While roses are blooming, they need a lot of fertilizer. For simplicity’s sake, I recommend Espoma’s Rose tone. It is well balanced and won’t burn your roses, nor lead to weird nutrient build up like a synthetic 10-10-10. Feeding them will also help their already compromised immune systems (that’s right. Plants have immune systems).

Give them space. Crowding them with other roses or plants in our humid environment will lead to black spot and other blights. Not to mention easy access for pests. Give roses a lot of elbow room for air circulation.

Watch for rose rosette disease. This viral infection was once considered a godsend as it seemed to favor Rosa multiflora, an introduced species that got way out of control and tried to take over the south. Which really irritated the kudzu and it was an all out war. It was basically Godzilla vs King Kong but in slower motion. Until rosette disease turned the tide. Which was cool for a minute. Then the virus decided it wanted more and now it is attacking the codependent pleaser of the rose world, Knock-Out Roses. The virus extensibly turns the new growth into a twisted, red, scraggly mess, and prevents the flower buds from fully forming. Flowers that do form burn immediately in the sun. If you see this growth, follow the stem down to the main stem and remove the entire branch. Then rub your pruners with alcohol so you don’t transfer the virus to other roses.

Lawns

Finish sodding this month if possible. June can sometimes be mild and agreeable for new sod, but I wouldn’t bank on that.

Fertilize regularly during the growing season. Mow only when the grass is dry to prevent many fungus and mold issues. If you do have fungus in your lawn, treat as soon as you see it. If using a mowing service, make sure they are sterilizing their blades between clients so issues are transferred to your yard.

Mowing heights are pretty important. Proper height keeps grass more resilient and disease free. Some common grasses in our region mow heights are:

Height for Warm-Season Grasses

• Bermuda: 0.5 to 2.5 inches
• Centipede: 1 to 2.5 inches
• St. Augustine: 1 to 3 inches
• Zoysia: 0.5 to 3 inches

Best Height for Cool-Season Grasses

• Fine fescue: 1.5 to 4 inches
• Kentucky bluegrass: 0.75 to 3.5 inches
• Perennial ryegrass: 0.75 to 2.5 inches
• Tall fescue: 1.5 to 4 inches

Veggies

Veggie season is well underway. Your cool season plants should be nearing the end of their time, so harvest and replace with warm season.

Do not neglect the fertilizer here. The energy it takes for your fruiting veggies (any “vegetable” that is a result of a fertilized flower, and thus the ripening ovum) is great, and just compost isn’t going to cut it. Compost is different from fertilizer. You need both for a truly productive garden.

Watch solanacea and basils for blights. If you see a leaf that looks suspicious, take a pic and look it up. It only takes a few days for many blights to spread. A great way to keep your disease issues in check with veggies is to practice crop rotation. Without getting too complicate, don’t plant the same annuals in the same beds year after year. It works best to go 3 or more years before planting the same annual in a bed. Look! I made you an animation!

The Take Away

Weed! Weed as if your life depends on it because the life of your plants does. M

Mulch! Because it will keep the weeds suppressed and make your soil healthier and your garden look cleaner.

Fertilize for success.

Enjoy the emotional and literal fruits of your labor.

Every time you connect with your garden, you are connecting to nature and a piece of yourself.