The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

  Can you believe it is June already? Holy Moley, where does the time go? After a dreadful February and March, April turned out to be pretty nice and May has been an absolute killer month. I would say that after the ghastly winter we had, this is our just reward and I'm not complaining.

My garden is in full swing now (except for the few stragglers that are half-dead and should probably be put out of their misery) and it is time for some serious preparation for summer. A few small efforts now will save a ton of time and grief later. Here are some suggestions.

Got your tomatoes planted? Put cages in now. Avoid the tedious task of bending and breaking branches as you try to thread them, overgrown, through the support wires. Have you got a mass of tangled wire resembling last year's cages? Get yourself some 'Sturdy Cages' and never tuck a mess like that behind the shed again!

Top-heavy summer and fall blooming perennials need support too. Peonies, for example, do best with "grow-through rings" placed in the ground earlier in the season. If you missed it, you can still corral the plants with "link stakes" now. And if you find the need for actually roping in your plants, use the green stretch tape rather than something like twine to avoid damaging plants. We sell a clear stretch tape that is almost invisible.

Have control of weeds? If so, keep it! Corn gluten is a natural weed suppressant and also contains 8 percent nitrogen. You can suppress weed seed germination and fertilize all in one application. Why not give it a go now? Top it off with a one-inch layer of compost and you are good to go for the season.

Plant cutting gardens. There is no reason for people in the Pacific Northwest to be buying cut flowers that were grown on cut down rain forest and shipped in refrigerated containers to the U.S. Just go to the perennial department of your local garden center. Plant tags will say whether their flowers are good for cutting and if you don't want to read, snag a nursery employee. You'll spend a fraction of what you would on arrangements at the grocery store over the season. And you'll have the plants to look forward to again next year. You'll not only improve the beauty inside your house, but outside as well with the flowers you don't get around to cutting.

Pinch back fall-blooming perennials. Plants like mums and asters will benefit from it, giving stronger plants with more blossoms. You can do so now or up to the 4th of July, but not after. It may seem like you have plenty of time now, but the month will go fast.

Feed your lawn with a high quality, natural fertilizer to keep grass healthy and weeds out. The recommendation for our area is to fertilize in early June, then again in the fall. Lime when you fertilize to improve your lawn's pH for a greener lawn.

Get into a good watering routine. Whole articles, books even, are written on water management, but it boils down to proper soil treatment, adding compost and good fertilizer, and watering deeply but less frequently for deeper roots that can better fend for themselves.

Keep an eye out for pests. Early detection and intervention are key. Given an adequate sample of damage, preferably contained in a zip-lock baggy, your local garden center should have staff available to help you identify suspected problems and help you find the best solution for your situation.

Remember, too, that the industry is getting a lot better at providing safer, more environmentally friendly solutions. Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew by Bonide, for example, is based on a naturally occurring soil bacterium discovered at an abandoned rum distillery. Safe for organic gardening, it kills some of the most prevalent insect pests in ornamentals and edibles.

Remember, taming your garden for summer doesn't necessarily require a machete and whip. Some stakes, cages, maybe a little stretch tape, and a pinch in time will save you nine later in the season.