As we welcome summer, our gardens are thriving! But with warmer weather comes the need for consistent watering 💧 and careful monitoring for pests and diseases 🐛. Below are some timely tips to help your garden grow strong through the month of June. 🌿🌻

🌱 Lawn Care Tips

✅ Mow Smart, Grow Strong

• Mow regularly and at the proper height to keep your lawn thick and weed-free!
  
  • Centipede, Bermuda, Zoysia: 1″ to 1½”
    
  • St. Augustine: 3″ to 4″
    

✅ Sprayer Smarts

• Using herbicides like 2,4-D? Keep two separate sprayers—one for herbicides and another for insecticides/fertilizers.
  
• 🖊️ Label each with a permanent marker to avoid accidental plant damage!
  

✅ Grass from Seed

• June is a good time to sow Centipede, Bermuda, and some Zoysia seeds.
  
• Keep seeds moist 🌧️—don’t let them dry out!
  
• ❌ Note: St. Augustine grass cannot be established from seed.
  

🌸 Trees, Shrubs & Flowers

🌿 Shade-Loving Beauties
For container gardens in shady spots, try:
Begonias, Caladiums, Ferns, Coleus, Fuchsia, Hellebores, Heuchera, and Impatiens.

✂️ Propagate Your Favorites

• Mid-to-late June is ideal for taking softwood cuttings from shrubs like:
  
  • Spirea
    
  • Boxwood
    
  • Azalea
    

🌼 Deadhead for More Blooms

• Remove spent flowers from bedding plants to promote new blooms.
  
• Deadheading prevents early seed production and extends flowering through summer!
  

🍅 Fruits, Veggies & Herbs

🍠 Sweet Potatoes

• Plant slips in June for a delicious fall harvest!
  

💧 Smart Watering

• Most veggies need 1” of water per week.
  
• Avoid wetting foliage to reduce disease risk. Use soaker hoses or drip tape for targeted watering.
  

🍅 Feed Your Tomatoes

• After fruit sets, fertilize with 2–3 tbsp per plant.
  
• Repeat every 4–6 weeks using 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 fertilizer.
  
• Keep fertilizer 4–6 inches from stems to prevent burn. 🔥
  

🧐 Watch for Squash Vine Borers

• Wilting plants may be victims of this sneaky pest!
  
• Look near the base for a hole with greenish-yellow frass.
  
• Carefully slit the stem to remove the fat, white caterpillar 🐛.
  
• Then, cover the vine with moist soil to encourage rooting and recovery.