Goodbye spring, hello summer in the garden

June in the garden is both the end of spring and beginning of summer. It's a month when faltering cool-season annuals are exchanged for heat-loving replacements. When the last spring-flowering bulbs finally wither. And when Solar Flare Prairieblues false indigo bursts into bloom,

Hardy to a colder Zone 4, Solar Flare is a just-introduced, hard-working perennial offering multiple seasons of ornamental appeal. Spring stems are purplish when they emerge from the ground, summer flowers attract butterflies, and black seedpods are attractive through fall and winter.

Solar Flare quickly becomes 4 feet tall, slightly wider, and mature plants can produce up to 100 upright flower stalks, each lined with clear-yellow flowers that eventually cast a dusky-orange glow.

Developed by Chicagoland Grows, Solar Flare is the newest member of the Prairieblues line of hybrid Baptisias, plants featuring the best traits of different Midwestern native species. Having adapted to our soils and weather, established plants can withstand both drought and intense summer storms

Solar Flare needs full sun and performs well in any well-drained soil, including sandy soil. Cut these easy-to-grow plants to the ground in late winter before new growth begins.

For your garden in June:

Trees and shrubs

• Fertilize roses with a second application of liquid 20-20-20 fertilizer after the first flush of flowers. Continue to monitor for black spot. Immediately remove any infected leaves. If necessary, begin a spray program with an approved fungicide. Most products must be reapplied following any rainfall.

• Deadhead hybrid tea roses as soon as flowers fade. Many shrub roses are self-cleaning and don't need to have spent flowers removed. When in doubt, lightly prune old blossoms to keep plants looking attractive.

• Pinch off 1 inch of sticky new green growth on azaleas and rhododendrons to increase next year's flowers. Mulch these acid-loving plants with shredded pine needles and/or shredded oak leaves.

• Continue to prune all spring-flowering shrubs immediately after they flower.

• Small evergreens, such as boxwood or yew, can be lightly pruned after the new growth fills in to maintain a formal character.

Flowers

• Deadhead annuals and perennials to encourage more flowers.

• Stake tall perennials and continue to tie annual and perennial vines to supports.

• Continue to spray emerging summer-blooming lilies with wildlife repellents, if rabbits and deer have been a problem. This fall, plant allium, daffodil or fritillary bulbs next to lilies and other deer favorites to discourage browsing.

• Continue to remove yellowing leaves of summer-flowering bulbs.

• Fertilize annuals in containers, baskets and window boxes with a quarter-strength balanced fertilizer every seven to 10 days. Always water the plants before adding liquid fertilizer.

• Continue to pinch off new growth of chrysanthemums, asters and late-blooming tall sedum.

• Monitor succulent new growth for signs of aphids (puckered stunted leaves). Hose down affected plants to knock off the aphids. Don't use strong chemicals if ladybugs are present since they are predators of aphids.

• When cutting peony blossoms to bring indoors, remove as few leaves as possible from the plants. Don't cut more than 25 percent of the flowers from one plant and avoid cutting flowers from newly planted peonies.

• Hand pull invasive garlic mustard before flowers have set seed and when soil is moist, getting as much of the root system as possible. Try to disturb soil as little as possible.

Vegetables and herbs

• Stake or cage tomatoes as they begin to grow.

• Harvest peas, early raspberries and all cool-season greens and vegetables as they ripen.

• If squash vine borer has been a problem, cover small transplants of squash, cucumbers and zucchini with row covers to prevent moths from laying eggs on vines. Remove row covers when plants begin to flower.

• Pinch top growth of herbs to prevent flowering and intensify the oils and flavor of foliage. Snip sprigs of fresh herbs for use in cooking all season and to encourage plants to produce more growth.

• Plant pumpkins at the first of the month. Large varieties require a 100-day growing season. If you gently carve names in developing pumpkins, the letters will enlarge as the pumpkins grow.

• Mulch vegetable garden to retain moisture. Make sure mulch is pulled back several inches from each plant to minimize problems from slugs.

• In late June sow seeds of corn, bush beans and cabbage for an early fall harvest.

Lawn care

• Do not fertilize lawn in hot weather. The best time to fertilize is fall.

• Seed bare areas of lawn with appropriate grass seed mix and starter fertilizer. Keep area moist until seeds germinate. Do not mow for several weeks until roots develop and new grass thickens up. Mower blades should be sharp to lessen damage to grass that is not fully developed.

• Rain and warm water will push grass to grow fast. Mow high (2 to 2 1/2 inches) so individual blades of grass can shade each other during hot, dry weather. Leave grass clippings on the lawn to decompose and return nutrients to the soil, but break up large clumps that might block sunlight or smother healthy grass below.

• If grubs were a serious problem in the past (more than 10 to 12 in a square foot), consider treating affected areas with a product containing imidacloprid. The best time to apply it is late June to early July, which is four to six weeks before grubs emerge. Follow label instructions and water in well. It's often too late to treat grubs when the damage appears, usually in late summer.

Denise Corkery is a horticultural writer at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.