This spring I've been paying particular attention to carrots and snow peas. Last May's unusually high temperatures killed both plants. Until last year, I was able to get these two staples through the following spring, and apart from rabbits nibbling on a few peas, they're doing just fine.
In the middle of this busy planting season, I considered it a minor victory to get an early start on weeding the carrot patch, before the tiny ferns were overwhelmed by the more aggressive weeds.
This year I planted bok choy in my carrot patch. I had the space, and like carrots, bok choy needs a row cover to protect it from pests. Grouping plants that need protection from pests under one cover makes maintenance easier. Bok choy is a vegetable I use often in meal prep; it adds a juicy, crunchy texture to salads.
The birds and the bees
Sitting by the big window at the old kitchen table that I use as a desk, I watch with delight as bees buzz along the fern-leaved Corydalis plants in brick pots at the front of the house, and am pleased to see bee activity on the kale and rhododendron flowers, and a rosemary hedge that is just starting to flower.
When you step into the backyard, you are surprised to see birds suddenly take flight from their resting places on the ground. Their calls bring music to the garden. Even the sounds of their domestic quarrels are entertaining.
A nuthatch has returned its nest to an old dead tree next to a resting spot on the footpath beyond the kiwi vines. A pair of these little birds recently flew noisily almost to my feet and chattered animatedly to each other before flying off. I wonder what this “argument” was about.
June has arrived
This month is considered the month of roses, a flower that delights gardeners with its beauty and fragrance. June also marks the beginning of the season for the upturned Asiatic lily, followed by the oriental poppy, with its large flowers that resemble crepe paper.
Peonies, delphiniums, irises, and hardy geraniums shine in the June landscape. The first summer-flowering clematis vines begin to bloom. Climbing hydrangeas create walls of large, lacy flower clusters. The scent of honeysuckle wafts through the garden.
I thoroughly enjoy the crisp, fresh green salad vegetables that grow in my garden in June. I love adding different kinds of green and red lettuce, as well as “bitter” leafy vegetables, to my salads and often garnish with fruit for sweetness. Roasted fig halves cut up and stored in the freezer are fantastic.
I grow both curly endive and broadleaf endive (escarole), which are nutritious, bitter-tasting leafy vegetables that offer many health benefits.
June 20th marks the longest day of the year, when people celebrate the abundance of the month.
Catch up and move forward
In my large garden, June is a time when I rush to finish off spring plantings. Annuals in the front garden are often the last major part of spring planting. This year marigolds are dominating, to avoid attracting the pair of rabbits that frequent the garden.
This month we will be sowing winter cabbage, overwinter cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and a second crop of zucchini and asparagus broccoli, which we call asparagus. This will extend the season for tasty vegetables considerably.
Garden Events
VHS Meeting. The Victorian Horticultural Society will meet on Tuesday, June 4, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Garth Homer Centre, 813 Darwin Ave. Bryan Emery, proprietor of Bryan's Specialty Plants Nursery, will lead a workshop on restarting orchid flowering at 6:30 p.m. and a talk called “All About Pelargoniums” at 8 p.m. Participation is $5 for nonmembers. vichortsociety.org
Dahlia Meeting. The Victoria Dahlia Society will meet at St. Michael's Church, 4733 West Saanich Rd, on Thursday, June 6th at 7pm. Award-winning breeder Connie Young-Davis will explain how to successfully grow newly planted dahlias. Visitors are welcome.
Children's Programs. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd., offers a variety of programs designed to connect children and youth with plants and the natural world. These include gardening workshops, camps, family adventures and more. For more information, visit hcp.ca/home/hcp-kids-youth-programs.
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