TOUR

Oregon gardens The Association of Northwest Landscape Designers showcases the residential gardens of local designers on June 28 (10–4; $15). All gardens are in the Dunthorpe/Lake Oswego/Tualatin area.

PLANTING AND HARVESTING

Harvest everything To keep disease from taking hold, pick flowers, fruit, and vegetables as they mature. This also helps keep new fruit and flowers coming.

Pick lilies But before you do, strip pollen-bearing anthers from the flowers so the orange pollen doesn't rub off on clothing and you won't get it on your nose when you sniff scented blooms.

Plant lawn Sunset climate zones A2–A3: Sow Kentucky bluegrass in sunny areas and red fescue in shaded spots early this month (or install sod). Both will be established before frost returns.

Sow vegetables Midsummer seems like an odd time to sow seeds of cool-season crops, but if you do it now, you'll have a great harvest in autumn. Try beets, broccoli, bush beans, carrots, chard, Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, radishes, scallions, spinach, and turnips. Even early potatoes can go in if you plant by Fourth of July.

MAINTENANCE

Compost everything Throw nonwoody plant parts (but no weed flowers) onto the pile as they become available, and turn and water the pile weekly.

Maintain fuchsias Bloom naturally slows down during the heat of summer, but you can extend it by faithfully deadheading, keeping plants regularly watered, and feeding monthly with complete fertilizer.

Mulch shrubs Nearly all woody plants and perennials benefit from a 3-inch layer of mulch applied this month. It keeps down weeds, conserves moisture, and gives feeder roots more organic matter to exploit.

Multiply bearded iris As foliage tips start turning brown, stop watering. Trim leaves back after they wither, then dig and divide rhizomes. Let them dry in the shade for a few days so that cut surfaces will callus, then replant in beds that have been weeded and amended (weeding iris beds during the growing season is difficult).

Prevent wormy apples Codling moth larvae (apple worms) and apple maggots destroy apples by tunneling through them. You can treat them organically by applying spinosad, which is made from a soil bacterium, Saccharopolyspora spinosa. It's sold as Success, Entrust, and Monterey Garden Insect Spray, and is widely available at nurseries.

ENLARGE IMAGE
photo by Steven A. Gunther

TIP FROM THE TEST GARDEN

Meet your yard's secret helpers

Beneficial insects and birds are the hardest-working unpaid gardeners you'll ever find; they help keep your plants healthy.

Ladybugs The black-and-yellow larvae and orange-brown adults feed on aphids. Encourage them to stay by planting common fennel and cosmos.

Green lacewings Their larvae dine on aphids, mealybugs, and scale. Attract adults with sweet alyssum and coreopsis.

House finches They consume aphids and other honeydew-secreting insects. Provide nesting space in vines.

Hummingbirds Besides nectar, they eat small bugs, and will even pick off adult whiteflies in midair. Supplement their feeders with nectar-rich salvias.

Fresh Dirt: Get the latest tips, tricks, and planting ideas on our garden blog »