Webster Groves Garden Club

Gardener's Corner June, 2026 by Carol Evans

It’s almost summer: flowers are blooming, birds are singing and all’s right in St. Louis. Although it’s starting out warm and humid, let’s hope we have a pleasant, not too hot, summer this year.

The Missouri Botanical Garden tasks and tips for the month include examining your plants, especially junipers and arborvitae, for bagworms. Make certain to collect and dispose of them as they are found. Roses can be fed after they bloom with either a
fertilizer higher in phosphorous or one that is balanced. Finish pruning any spring flowering trees and shrubs before the end of June to help them bloom well next year.

It is recommended to hand collect adult Japanese beetles early in the morning and put them in soapy water as pheromone traps may not be able to trap enough beetles, which can cause more damage to plants.. atch for powdery mildew, especially on phlox and peonies. If found, using preventative fungicides, providing good airflow and pruning out infected stems may be helpful in controlling this.

And now for some “creature comfort” advice: Here are some articles about those pesky insects, flies, ticks and chiggers, that might be helpful to you in planning your garden. Although the first discusses May planting, it won’t be too late to put these flowers in your garden now. This article in Gardening Know How is entitled 6 Gorgeous Flowers to Plant in May that Keep Flies Away – They Look and Smell Lovely in Summer Containers. You can find it at:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/gorgeous-flowers-that-repel-flies-with-fragrant-container-color?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20260526_XGK_NWL&utm_content=20260526_XGK_NWL&utm_term=31060374&m_i=xugQAvQ2OfMON87TQqsKTiGWZG396NnIMjgM4A376kMnKeoC3l1GckSqKMYGzoCLLpHdAoIl4UsM5RNXRIZuYm_oG7ykqx_dxB

The second article from the Uni ersity of Missouri Extension is especially timely: MU Extension recommends treating clothing to repel ticks. It can be found at:
https://extension.missouri.edu/news/mu-extension-recommends-treating-clothing-to-repel-ticks?utm_campaign=1276125_June%202026%20Crop%20management&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&utm_Link_Name=repeal%20ticks&dm_i=42N5,RCNX,17WA7U,3BJ2E,1,0,0,1MR5

Another article from Gardening Know How has this to recommend for ticks: Worried About Ticks? Create an Easy No-Go Zone With This Simple Barrier Trick You Can Complete This Weekend. It is at this website:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/insects/create-a-simple-tick-barrier-around-yard?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20260525_XGK_NWL&utm_content=20260525_XGK_NWL&utm_term=31060374&m_i=szp0OuRVaRkvUaDCAptr4MYc9lFZ0fcTas_RvgtzxpqbF7b0z9KI3hbybLBhOcGxiWG0YxtFjhN7kByEzvA%2B1%2BnNjHmWcgY7sw

Finally, my personal nemesis, chiggers, have caused me much distress lately. This timely article ino dea the Bob Villa website by Nicole Shein has some insights on how to with these critters. You can find it at:
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-chiggers/?utm_source=googleads&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=23133494052&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23133500370&gbraid=0AAAAAqKPjn3wjuxkrVJd8PVHfDYRx3pYc&gclid=CjwKCAjw857RBhAgEiwAI-1yKMn3KX4aDQ-Y5MGuHQxpgTJTugZyJrGZ-8jDwaaTr7ydtMt-hYnVWBoCN4YQAvD_BwE

Congratulations to this year's peony raffle winner... Alyson Snelling!! 🌸