HOME (Houseplants and indoor activities)

Indoor plants will require more frequent watering and fertilizing as they increase their summer growth.

You can move houseplants outdoors to a shady location, but pay close attention to their watering needs.

Cut garden flowers for indoor beauty. Recut the stems again just before placing in water. Add a floral preservative, and change the solution frequently.

Root cuttings of houseplants and garden plants to increase your collection or share with a friend.

YARD (Lawns, woody ornamentals, and fruits)

Prune spring-flowering shrubs after blooms fade.

Apply fungicide to prevent and control black spot on roses.

Water newly planted trees and shrubs. Water deeply every seven to 10 days when rain is lacking.

Propagate deciduous shrubs (such as forsythia, lilac, pyracantha, and weigela) by stem tip cuttings.

Remove faded flowers and seed pods on lilac and other spring-flowering shrubs.

Many fruit trees had few to no flowers this year thanks to the brutal winter, but some apples and pears may still have fruit set. If they have much of a crop, don’t be alarmed by a June drop of some fruit. It is a natural thinning process for most trees to prevent excessive loads, although there might not be as much to thin this year. Thin the remaining fruit, if necessary, or prop up heavy branches to avoid breakage. Most fruit should be spaced 6 to 8 inches apart on a branch.

Mow grass regularly but mow high to help protect plant crowns from heat stress.

Unless excessive, leave lawn clippings on the lawn.

To keep the lawn green and growing, water as needed to supply a total of 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. If left unwatered, lawns will turn brown and become dormant during extended hot, dry spells, but will green up again when conditions are more favorable.

GARDEN (Vegetables, small fruits, and flowers)

Discontinue harvesting asparagus and rhubarb around mid-June to allow foliage to develop and store food reserves for next year’s harvest. Fertilize and water when dry to promote healthy growth.

Mulch to control weeds and conserve soil moisture after soil has warmed. You can use many materials, including straw, chopped corncobs, bark chips, shredded paper, and grass clippings.

Blanch (exclude light from) cauliflower when heads are just 2 inches in diameter. Tie leaves up and over the developing head.

Control weeds. They’re easier to pull when they are still young.
Start seeds of cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower for fall garden transplants.

Plan now for your Halloween pumpkin. Determine the days to harvest for the particular cultivar you want to plant (usually on the seed packet) and count backward to determine the proper planting date.

Harvest spring plantings of broccoli, cabbage, and peas.

Remove cool-season plants, such as radish, spinach, and lettuce, because they will bolt (that is, form seed stalks) during hot summer weather.

Continue planting carrots, beans, and sweet corn for successive harvests.

For staked tomatoes, remove suckers (branches that form where the leaf joins the stem) while they are 1 to 1.5 inches long to allow easier training.

Remove the spent blooms of peony, iris, delphiniums, and other flowers.

Pinch the shoot tips of chrysanthemums, impatiens, petunias, and coleus to promote bushier growth.

Remove the tops of spring-flowering bulbs only after they have yellowed and withered.

Continue planting gladiolus for a succession of bloom.

Pick strawberries from the garden or a U-pick operation.

Protect ripening strawberries from birds by covering with netting.

Supplement natural rainfall (as needed) to supply a total of 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week to the garden.