Tips

Yard and Garden Tips and Tasks for June

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July Flowers

Outdoor Yard and Garden Tips

  • Cut iris flower stalks down to the crown when they are finished blooming. Leave the foliage alone. If your iris are over-crowded after flowering lift and divide them. Check rhizomes for iris borer.
  • Practice IPM (Integrated Pest Management) in your landscape. Do not spray your trees and shrubs preventively. This kills the predators and parasitoids that are helping to keep destructive pests under control.
  • Water newly planted trees and shrubs until they become established (for about 2 years), especially in the summer and fall. Water deeply by allowing the water to soak into the soil directly underneath and around the root ball.  Check the depth of water penetration into the soil by digging a small hole after watering. It should be moist about 6 inches down. A 2-3 inch layer of mulch is helpful. Keep mulch away from the trunk or stem.

Indoor Plant and Insect Tips

pider mite webbing
Spider mite webbing
  • Monitor houseplants kept indoors for mealybug, spider mites, aphids, whitefly, and scale. If houseplant pests are a problem consider spraying with a labeled horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. If possible, move the plants outside before spraying and when dry, move them back indoors. Discard heavily infested plants.
  • Pantry pests, like Indian meal moths, grain beetles, cigarette beetles, and carpet beetles may be found around windows trying to get out of your home. These pests can be swept up or vacuumed.  No chemical controls are recommended.

See more June tips and tasks.

Monthly Tips for April

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galls on Virginia cedar

Outdoor Garden and Yard Tips

  • Cedar-apple rust disease forms its galls on Virginia cedar (Juniperus virginiana) in April. The odd-looking galls are at first bright orange gelatinous balls with long “horns” or projections; they later turn brown and become hard. They are the alternate host structure for a disease that does very little harm to the junipers but can be quite destructive to apple trees, hawthorns, and quince.
  • Continue planting and transplanting trees and shrubs.  Choose quality trees: shade trees should have a single, straight trunk. Planting and transplanting should be completed before the end of June.

    Eastern Box Turtle
    Eastern Box Turtle
  • Viburnum leaf beetle is a serious pest of native arrowhead viburnum, cranberry bush, and many others. Look for feeding damage on viburnum and yellow larvae. Control them promptly since they can defoliate plants. Repeated defoliation can result in the death of native viburnums.
  • Eastern box turtles and various species of snakes are coming out of hibernation and may visit your yard. Box turtles are becoming scarce through much of Maryland because of road mortality and habitat destruction. Observe it but leave it in the wild.

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Monthly Tips for March

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Lawn

  • Late winter-early spring is considered the second-best time (the best time is late August through mid-October) to seed your lawn make repairs, or to cover bare areas. Read (PDF) HG 102, Lawn Establishment, Renovation and Overseeding.
  • Soil testing can be done now.  For grass keep the soil pH in the 6.0 – 7.0 range to help maintain, vigorously growing healthy turf. Although tall fescue is a little more forgiving of acidic soil, it will still grow much better at the proper pH. Not sure how to take a soil sample?

Ornamentals

  • If you still have unplanted bulbs from last fall, plant them this month. Inspect them carefully and only plant the best quality. Many may be in bad condition and not worth planting. If they were stored where it was warm, they likely will not flower this year but once getting established should do well next year.
  • Groundcovers are arriving in local nursery and garden centers this month. They are a great alternative to grass where grass won’t grow, where you have heavy shade or tree root problems and on steep slopes.
  • Remember not to set out tender annuals (impatiens, marigolds, petunias, salvia, etc) until after the last frost date. This date varies across the state from late April on the Lower Eastern Shore to Late May in Western Maryland. Refer to our Spring frost/freeze table.

Vegetables

  • Potatoes, onion sets, onion seedlings and peas can be planted as soon as the soil can be lightly worked. Chinese cabbage, leeks, beets, kale, mustard, and turnips can also be planted now. Learn more about these spring crops.
  • Buy some floating row cover material to protect crops from pests and promote early growth. A floating row cover is a lightweight spun fabric that permits light and water to enter, traps the soils natural heat and keeps out many pest insects.
  • Avoid the temptation to turn over or dig into wet soil. Tilling wet soil can cause it to become cloddy and brick hard when it dries out. How do you know when your soil can be turned or tilled? One test is to form a clump of your soil into a ball. Bounce it up and down in your hand a few times. If it breaks apart easily it’s probably OK to dig!

More tips from the Home & Garden Information Center

The Home & Garden Information Center’s horticulturists are available year-round to answer your plant and pest questions. In addition to gardening questions, we cover houseplants, indoor pests, and more. Send your questions and photos to Ask an Expert!

Monthly Tips for February

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Soil

  • Cover cropsTest your soil. Be prepared to raise soil pH with lime or lower soil pH with iron sulfate and elemental sulfur this spring according to the written recommendations you receive.  For more information on soil testing see: Soil Testing
  • Bare soil is prone to erosion and should be covered with mulch, cover crops, groundcovers, or turf.
  • Poor, compacted soils can be improved through the generous addition of organic matter. This spring, spade or till in a 6-8 inch layer of compost for new flower and vegetable garden beds.

Wildlife

  • BirdfeederContinue to feed wild birds through the remaining winter weeks. Black oil sunflower seeds and suet cakes are a good choice for a wide variety of birds. Keep bird feeders clean and provide your wild birds with fresh water.
  • Squirrels will come to eat the bird food you put out even when your bird feeders are advertised as “squirrel-proof.” Squirrels quickly become tolerant to the hot pepper repellent added to some bird feeds. Place squirrel baffles around feeders to keep them out, learn to live with squirrels, or offer them alternate food like ears of feed corn. Consult the staff at your local wild bird store for more detailed feeding suggestions.
  • This is the mating season for foxes. Late at night, they make a loud noise that sounds like a person screaming. (Listen)

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Monthly Tips for December

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Houseplants

poinsettias
  • To keep holiday plants looking good longer, keep them away from dry, drafty locations. Do not place near heat vents, doorways or drafty windows. Increase humidity around plants by placing them on a tray lined with pebbles, shallowly filled with water. Make sure the water does not enter the drainage holes. 
  • Winter is a challenging time for most houseplants because of the lower natural light and susceptibility to being over-watered.  Growing media should be allowed to dry out between watering.
  • Unless your indoor plants are growing under optimum, high light conditions, do not fertilize them during the winter months.

Insects

Mantid Egg Case
Mantid Egg Case
  • You may notice insects and spiders emerging from around your Christmas tree. They came in unnoticed on your tree. Simply escort them outside or vacuum them up.
  • The brown marmorated stink bug is settling down in nooks and crevices in houses and buildings for the winter. You may see several moving about in your home especially on warmer sunny winter days. Do not use insecticide sprays in your house to kill them. Capture and dispose of them using your shop vac. The stink bug is likely here to stay for a while, but like all insects may display fluctuating population cycles.
  • Miscellaneous beetles, like long-horned beetles and bark beetles may emerge from firewood stored inside the home. These are nuisance pests; they are not a threat to the wood in your home. You can also prevent pests from coming into the house by storing firewood outside the house.
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Monthly Tips for November

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Ornamental Plants

  • pansiesPansies are a good choice for fall and winter color in the garden. If you want to plant pansies you need to do it very soon to assure that their roots get established for winter. As a bonus, pansies often overwinter and provide early spring beauty.
  • Spring flowering bulbs can still be planted. For best results, place them in a sunny spot in well-drained soil amended with compost. Fertilize the planting area with a balanced fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Bulbs can be protected from animal pests by surrounding them with a wire mesh like chicken wire. If deer or other wildlife have ravaged your past bulb plantings, try planting bulbs that are rarely damaged by deer, such as allium, narcissus, fritillaria, hyacinth, and scilla.

Vegetables

  • fallgreens1.closeup.Orazi_.'08.ppt_This is a good time to incorporate organic matter into your garden beds. Composted animal manure (horse, cow, sheep, chicken) is excellent for improving garden soil. Keep garden beds covered with shredded leaves to minimize the risk of soil erosion and nutrient run-off. These can be tilled into the garden in spring or left in place as a mulch between rows of vegetables.
  • Cover crops should be planted before Oct. 15 but increased soil and air temperatures, due to global warming, may allow early November sowing of winter wheat or winter rye.
  • Spinach, lettuce, arugula, kale, and other cool-season crops should be protected from freezing with a cold frame, plastic sheeting, or floating row cover. Be sure to vent your cold frame or plastic cover on sunny days to prevent excessive heat build-up.

Insectscamel_cricket_l

  • You may notice large, brown humpbacked crickets with long antennae that don’t chirp. These are camel or cave crickets (photo on right) and are attracted to damp, dark locations in the home, usually in the basement, the garage, or garden shed. Exclude them as you would other nuisance pests by sealing up openings around foundations, doors, and windows.
  • Stink bugs, ladybird beetles, boxelder bugs, house flies, elm leaf beetles, and a few other critters may be observed in large numbers congregating inside your home. Cooler fall temperatures are driving them indoors. The ladybird beetles are actually beneficial insects that will not breed or survive for very long indoors. Simply vacuum or sweep up any unwelcome guests. The stinkbugs and the other invaders will do no harm indoors except to be a nuisance. Escort these invaders out of your home or vacuum them up, but resist the impulse to spray an insecticide. You can also prevent pests from coming into the house by caulking openings around window and door frames and not storing firewood inside the house.

More tips from the Home & Garden Information Center

The Home & Garden Information Center’s horticulturists are available year-round to answer your plant and pest questions. In addition to gardening questions, we cover houseplants, indoor pests, and more. Send your questions and photos to Ask an Expert!

Monthly Tips for September

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Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii'Houseplants

  • Before bringing houseplants back into the house: Check plants for ants, earwigs, pillbugs, and other nuisance insects.  Wash off insect pests or apply a labeled houseplant insecticide to control any plant pests such as aphids, scales, spider mites, and mealybugs.
  • If the plants have outgrown their pots repot them into the next size pot or remove them, trim back the roots and repot in the same container. Use lightweight, well-drained soilless potting mixes. Contrary to old established practice, pebbles, stones, and shards from clay pots do not need to be added to the bottom of planting containers. This actually creates a higher water table and may reduce plant growth. When repotting, cut the root ball with a sharp knife at 2-4 inch intervals and remove brown, dead roots.

lawn renovationLawn

  • If needed, this is the ideal time to begin a total lawn renovation project. Total renovation is best if your lawn is always failing due to poor soil, has over 50% weeds or is mostly dead. See our lawn renovation publication page Lawn Establishment, Renovation, and Overseeding.
  • Whether renovating or just over-seeding, the seedbed should be raked vigorously with a metal rake to loosen the soil and promote good seed to soil contact. If your entire lawn is compacted, machine aerating will help improve seeding, water, and fertilizer penetration. Watch our turf establishment video for more information.

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