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Stay On Top Of June Gardening With This Planner

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Brighten your summer with plumbago and other plants that thrive in the summer sun.

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By PENNY L. CARNATHAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

Florida gardeners look to the coming of June with half a smile and half a frown - yes, a tricky stunt, but we've managed trickier, now, haven't we?

On the plus side, June brings Rainy Season, the promise of gushing daily downpours that sizzle when they hit our flower beds, releasing baked-in heat in rolling clouds of steam. For a lot of plants, all that water is like some super growth hormone. Mild-mannered shrubs become looming Incredible Hulks that transform our yards into the semitropical paradises God intended.

The downside? Charley-Frances-Jeane-Ivan-Wilma-Dennis-Katrina-Ophelia-Rita-Ernesto.

Hurricane Season. It's a big downside. Only during Hurricane Season can a cheery garden gnome turn into a crazed killer - unless he's packed away with the patio chairs and every other potential wind-hurled missile. Pick it all up, put it all back. Pick it all up, put it all back. Yes, I know, be thankful if you can put it all back.

While we hope the hurricanes forget about us again this year, we do want the rain. Patience is the wise counsel on that.

''Rainy season normally gets off to a slow start,'' cautions Nick Petro, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa. ''It's not like a light switch.''

When the pattern will kick in is hard to predict, he says. Last week's rains don't count; they came with cool fronts.

In 2003, June was wet, with 1/3-inch or more of rain almost every other day, according to weather service stats. But every June since has been fairly dry the first three weeks, with good soakings starting in the fourth week.

For your plants, a good soaking is 3/4 to 1 inch of rain, says Marina D'Abreau, horticulture agent with the Hillsborough Extension office.

''That's what it takes to get water to the top 12 inches of soil, where the majority of roots are found.''

Keep a rain gauge in the yard. If it doesn't hit the magic number by watering day, go ahead and water.
Be careful not to overwater, she warns. That'll kill as sure as underwatering.

If plants look wilty at the height of the afternoon, stick your finger in the soil. If it's moist, wait till the sun drops and see if they perk up.

What else should you do in June? You'll need a calendar to keep track.

June 1 - Hurricane Season Opens

Stow anything you don't need or want outside (ladders, wheelbarrow, flamingo whirligig) to save on prestorm yard pickup should we fall into a hurricane ''cone of probability.''

Dinner's Served

If your garden dines on slow-release fertilizer, it's time to eat. A June-October-March schedule keeps most plants happy.

June 6 - Garden Fitness Day

Get out in the yard - one hour of shoveling, mowing and pruning equals a 4-mile jog!

The Heat Is On

Plant annuals that stand up to the full summer sun: celosia, crossandra, moss rose, vinca, torenia.

June 14-15 - Butterfly, Herbs & Native Plant Fair

Head to USF Botanical Gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. $4 admission.

Perennial Color

Brighten your summer. Plants for sunny spots: alamanda, coreopsis (the state wildflower), pentas, society garlic, plumbago, mandevilla, bougainvillea.

Summer Haircuts

Many flowering shrubs, including hibiscus, oleander and crape myrtle, benefit from a light prune about now. (Don't prune your spring blossomers.)

Show Some Taste

Heat-loving herbs include basil, bay laurel, rosemary, oregano and Mexican tarragon.

June 28 - Just Add Water

Learn how to create a pond in a free class today at Pondscapes, 4213 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa. Bell rings at 9 a.m.

Roll Out The Barrel

Compost and rain barrel workshops fill up fast, so sign up now. Hillsborough Extension has them scheduled through November; they're free, and Hillsborough residents get a free compost bin, micro-irrigation kit or rain barrel. Call (813) 744-5519, ext. 105.

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