Hill City Master
Gardeners
Association
Gardening Tips for June
Grub Control – Treat lawns in June and July for grubs, if you have a history of grub damage.
Perennials
Many perennials are early flowering and have passed their peak by June. Cut back the flower stalks on iris, peony, delphinium, yarrow, astilbe, coral bells, coreopsis, daylily and red hot poker. Leave the foliage at the base of the plant. Shear the tops of candy tuft and creeping phlox. Pinch back sedum for more compact growth. Pinch back hardy hibiscus about 2 inches from the tips in early June to increase bloom number. Cut mums and asters to 12 inches once a month until August 15.
Insect Patrol –
Bagworms – June is the time to control bagworms if you had them last year.
Japanese Beetles – Usually show up in June. Remove manually from your plants early in the morning. Use a jar of soapy water and just knock the beetles off plants into the jar. The beetles soon die. More . . .
Recent Media
 |
Ready to get a head start on your garden? The Hill City Master Gardeners are here with step-by-step instructions to make winter sowing easy, so you can plant an
|
FESTIVAL OF GARDENING
The Festival of Gardening, our annual plant sale and celebration of all things gardening, was held the first weekend of May with great success. Next year, we’ll be setting up again on the lawn of E.C. Glass High School with thousands of plants for sale, from heirloom tomato varieties to sought-after perennials to fragrant herbs. There will also be vegetables, annuals, native plants, trees and shrubs, vines and groundcovers as well as container gardens and garden décor items. All plants are grown from seed, divisions, or cuttings by our Master Gardeners. This sale is our annual fund-raising event that supports our training programs, and various community projects. Keep watching this site for a map of the sale layout so you can plan your plant-shopping adventure!
SAVE THE DATE!
FOG 2026
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Virginia Master Gardeners are volunteer educators who work within their communities to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscape management education and training. As an educational program of Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Master Gardeners bring the resources of Virginia’s land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the commonwealth. All information we disseminate must be research-based by VT/VSU.
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hillcitymastergardeners/
Look for our latest HCMGA postcards.
Available at HCMGA events and project sites, and at the Community Market Information Booth.
Spring is blooming and there is always something new to see in the garden. Whether you are cultivating a hybrid, nurturing an heirloom, or propagating to support your local pollinators, there’s lots to learn and lots to do. A garden gives back everything that you put into it. Do you know what’s next? Monthly Gardening Tips below.
Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as looking across at the garden at the end of a day.
In the Garden This Month
JUNE
Gardening Tips for June
Grub Control - Treat lawns in June and July for grubs, if you have a history of grub damage.
Perennials
Many perennials are early flowering and have passed their peak by June. Cut back the flower stalks on iris, peony, delphinium, yarrow, astilbe, coral bells, coreopsis, daylily and red hot poker. Leave the foliage at the base of the plant. Shear the tops of candy tuft and creeping phlox. Pinch back sedum for more compact growth. Pinch back hardy hibiscus about 2 inches from the tips in early June to increase bloom number. Cut mums and asters to 12 inches once a month until August 15.
Insect Patrol -
Bagworms - June is the time to control bagworms if you had them last year.
Japanese Beetles - Usually show up in June. Remove manually from your plants early in the morning. Use a jar of soapy water and just knock the beetles off plants into the jar. The beetles soon die.
Mosquitoes - Reduce number by keeping roof gutters clear, changing water weekly in birdbaths, and removing items that catch and retain water.
Set your Sundial - June 15 is the time to set your sundial. Place it so the shadow falls on the twelve o'clock position at exactly noon on this date.
Spring Flowering Bulbs - Cut back the foliage of your daffodils and other bulbs when the tips of the leaves start to turn brown. You may move bulbs after foliage dies - if not dead, bulbs may not flower for several years. If bulbs haven't bloomed well this year, this would be the time to lift and separate them. You may replant immediately or store until fall. If you store them, do so at cool temperatures so they won't dry out.
A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. – Doug Larson.
