What You Shouldn’t Be Doing in the Early Summer Garden
The Scorching Reality of Early Summer
I don’t need to tell you that early summer desert garden is hot. In mid-June, we typically experience several days of extreme heat. I have many people who ask me what garden tasks CAN they do in their garden right now.
Well, the answer is an easy one…
Do as little as possible.
Embracing Minimalism in Garden Tasks
June is a very stressful time of year for plants because it is very hot and dry so it makes sense to heatproof your garden. Both of these conditions make it hard on plants. In fact, June is the hardest time of year for most plants.
In other words, don’t add new plants, do unneeded pruning, or fertilize.
If you find yourself with new plants still in their nursery pots, put them in a shady spot and water them regularly as they will dry out fast!
Careful with New Additions and Pruning
Pruning is also stressful for plants so limit your pruning to getting your trees ready for monsoon season. If you have some suckers growing mature trees (see photo above), you can prune them off.
Don’t fertilize plants now. Most plants don’t need it with the exception of flowering annuals, herbs, vegetables, and smaller palm trees.
Keep a Watchful Eye on the Summer Desert Garden Plants
In the meantime, get out early in the morning before it gets too hot to make sure there aren’t any plants that are struggling. You may need to add more water or provide temporary shade.
Toward the end of June, the monsoon season will be on its way with extra humidity and hopefully rain, which will provide some relief for plants.
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
