June is my all-time favorite gardening month!

As usual, rain will dictate my gardening activities this weekend. My garden is looking lush this week...the rain is (good for *something*) keeping things really green and the past few years of diligently planting perennials is starting to really pay off. So is my "relationship" with GardenWeb plantexchange forum (check it out if you haven't already)...I've gotten so many different types of perennials and bushes from there and have been able to share some of my older perennials that were starting to really spread out.

This weekend, I plan to dig in an underground hose and soaker hose in my shade garden (about 70 feet out from the house)...it is under a big ole Tulip tree and by June, the leaf canopy over it prevents the soil from getting the nice once a week or so soaking it needs to keep the ferns and wildflowers happy.

fusty_overalls

A nice quiet weekend of gardening planned here. I'm planning to move a barberry (ouch) and relocate about 8 fancy hostas that are being shaded out by a Shasta viburnum that grew unexpectedly huge. This rain is perfect for that, the ground should be nice and moist.

I can't wait to get home and get started!

The rain is coming down here too... I'm hoping it drys out so I can go plant shopping tomorrow morning, although I appreciate any rain we get this dry spring.

I'm going to try trading this summer. I don't know who's going to want what I have but I'll give it a try anyway, you never know.
Kato

This morning I planted 2 Plum Pudding Heucheras and 1 Amber Waves Heuchera; planted a Magic Carpet Spirea; and mulched a new garden that includes 2 Moutain Laurel 'Keepsake", a Blue Baron Holly that is being brought back to health, 2 'Pilgrim' Hostas, the Spirea, and the Heucheras. I'm finishing the rest of that garden in my mind now.

With luck and better weather, I hope to begin edging a border for another garden beneath a 100' terrace. If I get that done, I will begin mulching it and getting another 8 yards of mulch (that will be 24 yards of mulch this year so far).

I also cut my first Royal Amethyst rose bloom and placed it in a vase--it has a nice fragrance.

Working today (grump, grump.) Tomorrow is: church, shopping for shoes with my very induvidualistic and somewhat picky (she's such a little Virgo) daughter for her graduation from Middle School next week, planting a large climbing hydranger(from Platt's in South Jersey -- a great cheap source,) planting my pre-half-price, half-price Bluestone order(3 tiny ones each of Mexican hat, anthemis, prunella and harebell,) getting leaf mulch from the township since we've used up all our present compost, doing a grocery shopping, doing laundry, cooking dinner and ...

Laughing myself silly for thinking I can actually get all this done.

Springcherry

Last Saturday I bought a ton of annuals and a Christmas fern. I took the week off and spent most of it potting up and transplanting them. Tomorrow I plan to sow beans and dill. Things look pretty good. The rain yesterday was much needed.

Sally

Springcherry, I'm not doing too well either! LOL, I bought plants yesterday but as to everything else on my list it hasn't happened yet!

Someone else here is always asking for silly things like fixing a leaky faucet or finishing the trim in the bathroom. I do that, suffer the ups and downs and *frequent swear words* of home improvement, and then I'm shot for the day. Instead of working in the yard I just wander around staring at plants and looking for the tiniest sign that they've grown in the last few hours.

Chescobob you make me feel guilty. I can't even get a six pack of impatients in the ground! At the very least today I hope to get up to the inlaws and plant his tomato patch.... of course that means digging up grass, turning soil, digging in leaf mold, planting too many tomato plants for the number of people....

The rain was extremely welcome, my yard is starting to heal, even though I think the foxgloves have a thrip or mite infestation from the dry weather and may not flower.
Kato

Today I have to replace the plants that my kittens trampled
playing in the garden. They love to hide in the plants, but then start to get rowdy, then I have to get the water gun out. I don't even remember what plants I had so I'm just going to get some impatiens. I have a non-garden question,
does anyone know where I can get some firewood in Philly, I haven't been able to find any here and I really don't want to drive to Quakertown where I know there's some. Thanks in advance for your help.
Coll

Kato,

LOL...my "weekend' just started today(Sunday), but it does last until Wednesday! Still planning on putting down more mulch, and need to do some major weeding and planting from the pot ghetto. I may get everything almost done this year....NAW.

Lemme know if there are any plants you need that I have.

Gerry

Funny you should ask Gerry..... haha.
Last time I was over there I saw a yellow flowering plant with ferny leaves. Where did you get that from? Is it a kind of Corydalis? I've heard they're not tooo hard to grow from seed.... hint hint.

If you are in the Dupont area you should stop by. There's still not much to see but maybe it would be a good "before" visit. I have one plant you should take a look at! It's persicaria polymorpha, mine is small, it's only this spring I got a few shoots off the mother plant, but I think it's cool.

The Natchez crepe myrtle in NY made it through the winter with flying colors. I'll take plenty of cuttings next time I'm out there. (I haven't forgot)
Kato

Here is a link that might be useful: fleece flower

Kato, I planted fleece flower two seasons ago and it's looking great this year. The first year, the stems were broken by a romping dog and never really recovered, but this year the plants are back and flowering lustily. I hope they spread.

I got lots done this past weekend. Planted a big bed of annual seeds (mostly cleome). And I also FINALLY planted a small area next to our patio, under our big honey locust tree (which is providing some much-needed shade for the first time this year). I had to move a barberry bush to clear the bed competely. Now the bed is full of several very pretty big and little hostas that had been completely hidden in their old location, under a viburnum that had gotten huge. I've very happy to see the bed filled, and to finally get to admire my hosta collection up close.

If I had one wish(okay, more than one)it might be that folks, ESPECIALLY FELLOW GARDENERS, stop griping about rain. Rain is a good thing, rain is a bringer of life, rain IS NOT bad. Rain has our property looking lush, green, full, and darned near jungle-esque. I, for one, love it, keep it coming on a regular basis. Thank you, thank you very much. And I honest to God hope that we don't go dry any time soon.

Hello fellow gardners! Well, I must say I had a nice weekend planting lots of tomatos,my onions have been coming up nicely, my 3 plants of squash have died on me. Everything else in the garden looks good, except for those 3 plants. I just can't understand what happened to them. They were planted the same time along with the other veg. I even have the 12*12 area double fenced in, because of living near the woods. I did notice while I was digging up the plants there were tiny little white worms near the roots. Does anyone out there think this worm is what killed my squash plants. Please let me know!! I'm going to buy some more plants to replace what died in the garden. Thanks for anyone's advice!! Have a great week!! sweet blooms

I had a nice Sunday, probobly because I only got half the list done.

This is a stupendous time of year. Things seem to burst out into bloom out of nowhere. Its thrilling.

Kato-- corydalis lutea is a huge reseeder on my property, which is fine by me cause I love it. If you are ever around Philly let me know and I can give you some. I'd be cautious about sending it in the mail. It doesn't, really dosn't, like transplanting. For such a rampant plant its suprisingly fragile.

Springcherry

Sween, did anyone complain about the rain? The rain and the warm weather are making my cannas explode!!!! I swear they doubled in size last night!

Springcherry - as usual you amaze me with your generosity. I have one lutea. I think it hates it's spot (too much sun) but now I'm thinking twice about moving it. Maybe I can spread seeds in better spot and that will work out.... did you look at the fleece flower link?? I think you need one too! let me know, it gets big (5'x5').
Carol I think it's easy to propagate, I had a few stems that broke off just below soil level, they rooted as soon as I stuck em in the dirt again!

I was trying to be subtle with the "Is it a kind of Corydalis?" comment......
I'm pretty sure it's Corydalis cheilanthifolia and I'm pretty sure I need it in my garden and I'm pretty sure no one will be able to trust me around any stray seed pods. Gerry please don't make a plant thief out of me.
Kato

Oh and hi sweet blooms!
I don't know much about your squash plants, but the tiny worms were probably just eating the dying roots. Get ye to the dollar store and get ye some 10 cent seed packs of zuchini! Now that it's finally warm the seeds will sprout in a couple days and grow faster than you can believe and you'll never miss the quitters that died.

Here is a link that might be useful: fancy plant that Gerry has

Kato, yeah, I found at least two gripes about the rain in this thread alone, while there is now developing yet another thread complaining about the weather. It's been wet, the heat is on, especially the warm nights, and all of it, ALL OF IT, spells great things in the garden.

We propagate dahlias, and in most years we're lucky if they're breaking ground by this time. Now, we have plants nearly a foot tall, and I'd bet we bloom on at least some of them within a month. So, no gripes about weather from me!

Kato,

Sorry, I just got back to this post...your more than welcome to some of them, I had a few earlier this year the just sprouted here and there, but I think they have since passed on :-( I will hunt around for some for you.

I was at Halls tonight, on the back road in Exeter, and they had a pink one, had gray/blue leaves was nice, but I was on a mission for a flat of Marigolds for the neighbor, so I had to tear myself away and go to the roses...I mean marigolds...I may have to run back up there in the earliest of the AM to get one of the roses I saw, and I have been forbidden (HAH) from getting more.

I will get back with you in a few days about the Corydalis, as I am heading back to work tomorrow night for my work "week".

Gerry

PS...SWEEN, if'n you are tracking this post, I will have to check out that nursery up by Fitch's corner, I am sure I can find it, as that is the intersection and cemetery. Thanks

I love a good rain, I sometimes complain about the timing.... but right now this heat and humidity is encouraging my tropicals to grow and grow and grow and grow. I can't wait until my sweet potato vines start filling their pots and taking over!
Thanks for the offer Gerry, I'll be hunting you down soon. Maybe I'll join you in your rose obsession too, they are starting to bloom now and the colors and fragrance are very tempting.
My very favorite plant changes as they go in and out of bloom. I'm still coming down from a serious iris phase but in a few days I'll be ready for the next plant.... probably going to be roses. Late May, early June is a tough time of year. How can you choose between peonies, iris, clematis and roses???? I'll have to have them all!