June Gardening Tips and To-Dos for the Pacific Northwest Region

June is here with gorgeous garden blooms and summer is right around the corner. Here are some June gardening tips and to-dos for your Pacific Northwest garden.

The days are not only getting warmer but they’re also getting longer. It’s the last month of spring and there’s still plenty to do when it comes to gardening.

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I’m a self-taught hobby gardener, not a Master Gardener. Everything I share with you on my blog is my personal opinion and things that worked for me along the way.

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June Gardening To-Dos

My “gardening by month” tips for June are based on hardiness zone 8b, and my average last frost date is April 18th. If you live in a different hardiness zone, make sure to confirm the frost dates in your area, and plan accordingly.

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Garden Planting in the Month of June

PLANT EDIBLES

Mid-June is a good time to start fall and winter crops.

It’s not too late to direct seed your summer crops, but do it soon! Here are some of the vegetables you can plant in your Pacific Northwest gardens for June…

• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Onions – green onions and overwintering leeks can be sown. Chives and garlic chives can be started for next year’s harvest.
• Summer & Winter Squash
• Melon
• Root Vegetables
• A last crop of potatoes
• Corn
• Salad Greens
• Swiss Chard
• Herbs – fennel, dill, chives, cilantro, basil, parsley, mint, oregano, and marjoram.

Plant tomatoes and eggplant when night-time temperatures have warmed up, and the soil temperature is above 60 degrees.

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PLANT ANNUAL PLANTS

My June garden doesn’t seem to have a lot of perennials blooming right now, other than my rhododendron and azalea plants.

This is a great time to plant some bright and colorful annual flowering plants to add a pop to the garden for June and fill in any spaces.

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June Garden Maintenance

MAKE SURE YOUR PLANTS ARE GETTING ENOUGH WATER

Check your irrigation system, if you have one, to make sure it is in good working order. Test and run each system manually, for at least five minutes, to make sure there are no leaks or repairs that may be needed.

Newly planted trees and shrubs should be watered deeply, every week or two until it starts raining more consistently in the fall.

Make sure your flowers and shrubs get an inch of water each week.

As early potatoes begin to die back, reduce watering.

Change the water regularly in the birdbaths.

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DIVIDE PLANTS

There’s still time to divide any perennials that are not spring or early summer bloomers, and only if the foliage isn’t more than 5-6 inches high.

Divide spring-flowering perennials like primroses, and transplant them to other areas in your yard. Daffodil clusters will also need to be divided every few years, to prevent overcrowding, and for better blooming.

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PINCH YOUR ANNUALS

Annuals like fuchsias, geraniums, and cosmos should be pinched back after they start to wilt and die off to prevent them from getting leggy.

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PRUNE AND DEADHEAD

Snap off old flower heads from rhododendrons once they have bloomed in order to provide more energy to the plants. Be careful not to injure new branches that may be emerging beneath the spent blooms.

Cut back azaleas by removing the outermost inch of new growth. This will encourage a full and bushier plant.

Prune spring-blooming shrubs and trees, such as lilacs and crab apples, as soon as they finish blooming so don’t cut into next year’s blossoms.

Stop cutting asparagus and rhubarb at the end of the month, so they can rejuvenate for the next year.

You can prune evergreens anytime until late summer.

Vines like clematis, honeysuckle, and jasmine tend to become out of control this time of year. Try to cut back, train, or tie new shoots to the trellis or structure.

Deadhead any spent blooms to keep the plant blooming longer. I try to take 30 minutes to an hour each morning to walk the garden. It’s a great time to pull up any weeds that pop up, as well as cut back any spent flowers.

If you make walking the garden a daily routine, it should be easier to keep up on your gardening tasks, and it won’t seem as overwhelming.

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REMOVE SPENT PLANTS

Pull out any lettuce that has bolted.

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SPRING BULB MAINTENANCE

It’s safe to remove leaves from tulips, daffodils, and other spring-flowering bulbs as soon as they turn brown and you can easily pull the foliage up out of the ground.

Dig up spring bulbs that did not grow well this season.

*Did you know that most tulips and hyacinths last only about 2-3 years?

FERTILIZING AND FEEDING

Feed your roses by adding bone meal. This will provide calcium to protect from aphids and other insects.

Fertilize flowering shrubs such as rhododendrons and azaleas

Replace any compost or mulch that has decomposed or blown away once the ground is warm. This will not only help with weed maintenance but will also keep plants moist.

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WEED AND PEST CONTROL

Try to keep pulling any weeds as soon as they sprout to keep them from getting out of control. If you don’t have the time to spend quality time out in the garden, at least cut the weed heads off so they don’t go to seed.

Roses are the biggest challenge in my yard. I am already seeing black spot on a few leaves. If your roses have black spot, remove the infected area to prevent spreading. Spray roses with insecticidal soap to eliminate aphids, mites, and thrips.

Pick caterpillars off plants by hand. Drop them in a bucket of soapy water, or toss them out where the birds can get them.

Continue with your slug and snail control. Slugs are in full force this time of year. Plants that are most susceptible to slugs, such as marigolds, hostas, dahlias, and zinnias, can all benefit from slug bait.

I use Sluggo in my garden, which is pet and wildlife safe. However, there are more natural alternatives available as well.

A Few Extra Tips for a Gorgeous Garden

It’s so important to keep notes through the season. This way, when it’s time to start planning next year’s garden, you’ll be able to remember the critical issues that need to be addressed going forward.

This is a great time to clean out your greenhouse if you have one. Discard any dead or diseased plants. Clean pots and containers are necessary to control greenhouse pests.

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I hope these tips are useful when you’re in the garden for the month of June. Is the weather warming up for you? Get out there and enjoy some garden therapy!

I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a comment below.

Until next time,

Happy Gardening!

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