June days are the longest of the year – take advantage of the extra hours in your garden.
Check drip irrigation lines and emitters for leaks or clogs and adjust to provide adequate moisture.Thin fruit on stone and pome fruit trees.Spider mites can be discouraged by rinsing dust from foliage.Stake tall, weak-stemmed flowers.Cut spent canes to the ground after harvesting berries. Attach new canes to the trellis for next year’s crop.Prune azaleas, camellias, and hydrangeas after bloom.Reduce or eliminate fertilizer for landscape trees and shrubs, unless used to remedy nutrient deficiencies.Do not feed plants if they are water stressed.Limit planting during hot weather, as newly installed plants require frequent irrigation while root systems become established.Annuals and perennials: Lily-of-the-Nile (Agapanthus), aster, fibrous begonia (Begonia semperflorens), Coneflowers (Rudbeckia).Bulbs, corms, tubers: giant allium (Allium), canna.Trees, shrubs, vines: abelia, desert willow (Chilopsis linearis), flowering maple (Abutilon).Fruits and vegetables: fuji apple, apricot, beans, eggplant.Adjust lawn mower setting to cut lawn higher. Set mower to 2½ to 3 inches for tall fescue, ¾ inches to 1 inch for common bermuda, and ½ to ¾ inches for hybrid bermuda.Use less toxic insecticidal products such as insecticidal soaps or neem oil.Annuals such as pansies, petunias, and snapdragons are best planted in pots where they can provide a splash of color by an entrance rather than planted in beds where they will need more water.
Source: Adapted from A Gardener’s Companion for the Central San Joaquin Valley, 3rd edition, currently available from Fresno County Master Gardeners for $30. These can be purchased at our demonstration garden – Garden of the Sun (1750 N Winery (McKinley/Winery), open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 am to Noon, and via email at mgfresno@ucanr.edu. Gardening questions answered as well at mgfresno@ucanr.edu. Prepared by Terry Lewis, Master Gardener UCCE Fresno County.