Farmer Jimmy Deaton, our regular Urban Garden columnist, is taking the month of June off for some much needed R&R. Look for his sage advice for keeping your garden in top shape during the summer in the July issue.
In the meantime, here are a few June gardening tasks and projects that you can do to help keep your garden looking it’s best for the rest of this spring season.

♣ Has your spring been somewhat less than a sunny, gardeners delight? Haven’t had enough time to get the garden looking quite right yet? ‘Color Spots’ may be your quickest and easiest way of catching up with the neighbors.
Color Spots are easy care, blooming size annuals that the nurseries have grown in 4″ pots. They have taken care of the feeding, pinching and early care for you. The result is a nicely branched plant, blooming and ready to set in the garden. You will be able to see what your flower will look like before you even pick it out, and have some early summer colors before the sun sets. Prepare the soil; water the new plants before you remove them from the pot; plant the color spots at the recommended spacing on the label; water them again.
Result: INSTANT COLOR!

♣ Pinch back any annuals, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Cosmos or any other plants that might be getting a little leggy.

♣ Pinch your Chrysanthemum’s to encourage them to be bushier and have more blossoms. Pinch them again, every 6 inches or so, as they grow.

♣ This is an excellent month to pick out a few new perennials, and put them into the garden.

♣ Divide spring flowering perennials like, Primroses, Arabis, and Aubrietia.

♣ Once the soil has warmed, you may sow seeds for perennials directly into the garden.

♣ Check your roses for mildew, aphid, black-spot or other insect or disease problems and if they appear take steps to control them right away.

♣ Roses will need to be fertilized each month through the summer.

♣ Make sure your climbing roses are securely tied into position. Prune them after blooming.

♣ Deadhead your annuals to encourage more flowers.

♣ Remove dead foliage from your spring flowering bulbs, but only after it has died back naturally.

♣ Sow seeds for Flowering Kale and Flowering Cabbage for colorful plants next fall and winter.

♣ Stake tall flowers to keep them from blowing over in the wind. Add a stake to each planting hole as you’re transplanting, and tie the stem loosely to the stake as the plant grows.

♣ As the weather dries out, your container plants may need daily watering especially if the pots are exposed to the drying sunlight.

♣ Gladiolus corms can still be planted for successive blooms.

♣ Tuberous Begonias can now be safely planted outdoors.

♣ Once the foliage of Daffodils has died back, you may divide and move the bulbs to a new spot. Daffodil clusters should be divided up every 3 years to ensure good blooming.
Publishers Note: This column courtesy of GardenHelpers. Com. Please visit their website for tips on taking care of your shrubs, trees, and lawn.