Quotation of the Week: "The nutrition that your fruits and vegetables provide you is only as good as the nutrition you provide your soil." — Milo Shammas

Deciduous Fruit Trees

Do the last thinning on deciduous fruit trees after June drop has occurred. June drop is nature's way of getting rid of an overload of fruit. It may occur any time between early May and July but is most likely to happen in June. One day you visit your apple, peach or apricot tree and find a circle of immature fruit lying on the ground under the branches. These trees often set more than double the amount of fruit they could possibly ripen properly, so they simply drop off part of it. If you thinned out the fruit on your trees in April and again four to six weeks later, you enabled the remaining fruit to grow larger and thus less fruit will drop off now. Nevertheless, you may need to remove even more fruit than naturally drops in order to space your crop evenly down the branches. Inspect other deciduous fruit trees that are less subject to June drop, plums for instance, and thin out their fruits also. Clean up the fallen fruit under the tree before it has a chance to rot and spread disease. If it's healthy, chop it and add it to your compost pile (cover it with earth to fight against flies and rodents). Also water deciduous fruit trees well in June and July.

Ron Brown Green Thumb Garden Professional

June Bloom

It's possible here to have color year-round from permanent plants. If your garden lacks color now, notice what's in bloom in local gardens, and visit botanical gardens and nurseries to see what's flowering. Consider adding one or two of the following plants that bloom during June. Jacaranda with Agapanthus. Jacaranda is a spectacular tree. Try planting white agapanthus, also in bloom now, at its feet. Or use blue agapanthus for mirror effect - blue on the tree and the ground as well. Chinese Fringe Tree (Chionanthus retusus). White flowers shaped rather like lilac blossoms cover the entire tree in June. Fuchsia, Hydrangea, and Lantana All these are at the height of bloom in June. Fuchsias need regular water but adapt well to drip systems. Hydrangeas also need plenty of water, but they make good container plants or choices for moist canyons with damp but well-drained soil. Lantana is one of the easiest full-sun, drought-resistant plants to grow and is a great bank cover. Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus). Among our finest drought-resistant small trees or shrubs, bottlebrush grows slowly to 25 feet. Named cultivars have the best color and largest flowers. Vines All of the following bloom in summer and can be planted now. Orchid trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides) is easy, disease resistant, and gorgeous in its late spring/early summer bloom. Royal trumpet vine (Distictis 'Rivers') is a strong grower, disease resistant, with flowers ranging from mauve to royal purple. Bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides) is pink (rosea) or white (alba). Protect it from wind. Red trumpet vine (Distictis buccinatoria) does best near the sea, but can be grown in the interior, though it will suffer frost damage. Mandevilla (Mandevilla splendens 'Alice du Pont') is bright pink and a good choice to espalier on an east wall.

Control Whiteflies with Ladybugs and Spiders

In the evening, put small teaspoonfuls of ladybugs on pre-moistened foliage. (Adults may fly away but leave eggs to hatch into beneficial larvae that eat the larvae of whiteflies.) Catch house spiders without harming them. Either use a commercial spider-catching device or drop a damp facial tissue over each spider and close the tissue gently under it. ( Spiders escape from dry tissues but climb up inside wet ones.) Place your captured spiders outdoors on such plants as hanging-basket fuchsias. We like to use Bayer Rose and Flower Insecticide for bad infestations and a more positive control.

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What you need: 1 cup fresh blueberries 2 small pears, peeled and chopped 4 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons cold butter Step by Step: Divide the fruit among four 6-oz. custard cups coated with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings