12 All Point Bulletin • June 2026 Here is my gardening mantra for June: I am not behind, and neither are you. Whatever you have or haven’t done in your garden so far this year is enough and we’re all doing just fine. Gardening is a process, not a race. It is a journey to be enjoyed, not a chore to be endured. There should be joy in the doing, time to relax in the shade, and moments to spend listening to birds and watching butterflies and native bees flit about the yard. This is my sixth year of gardening in the Pacific Northwest, and I get a little bit better each year. I have learned that spring always seems to arrive late and is usually colder and wetter than I’d like it to be. I’ve learned that the soil doesn’t warm up enough for warm season plants until after Mother’s Day, and that the short (to me) growing season limits the varieties of seeds that can be sown in the ground. I start hundreds of seeds indoors, beginning in early January, to have healthy flower and vegetable seedlings ready to plant outside from March through June. My seed starting mantra is “you do you and I’ll do me.” I enjoy watching seeds come to life and caring for them until they can care for themselves. From March through June, my garden is filled with bright flowers grown from tubers, bulbs and corms planted in the fall and winter: daffodils and tulips, grape hyacinth, Dutch iris, ranunculus and anemones. There are hardy herbs and shrubs in bloom, a blossoming tree or two, and cool weather flowers including pansies and violas, perennial scabiosa, clematis vines and climbing roses. In late May, the dahlias that I left in the ground over winter wake up and begin to sprout. Each year I dig, divide
In The Garden By Victoria smith and replant dozens of dahlias; this year I added many new dahlia varieties that I pre-sprouted in pots. I’m looking forward to having more than 200 dahlia plants in bloom from July until the first killing frost this autumn. The vegetable garden has had its ups and downs this spring. The kale, chard, and arugula thrived throughout the winter and are doing great, as are the early lettuces. I’ve planted two sets of climbing peas so far this year: the first ones rotted in the ground and never sprouted; the second set came up well but was eaten by earwigs and slugs. I’ll be planting more in the first week of June, at the same time I plant green beans. Tomato and pepper plants can be safely transplanted now that night temperatures are generally above 50 degrees. These heat-loving plants do best in a warm and sunny location; I plant mine against a south-facing wall. There’s still time to plant squash, cucumbers, salad greens, radishes, herbs, carrots and beets, either from seed or from baby plants purchased at the nursery. Keep sowing salad greens and radishes for a continual harvest, and tuck in two or three bush bean seeds in vacant spots when you remove a lettuce plant. Covering bare soil between plants helps keep weeds from sprouting and saves water by keeping the soil cool. Fill in empty spaces with veggie seed-
lings or add companion plants like marigolds, zinnias and herbs to invite pollinators into the garden. If you want flowers, there’s a lot to choose from. Petunias, pansies, coneflowers, snapdragons and many other pollinator-friendly plants are available in six packs and pots at nurseries. Zinnias, cosmos, alyssum, sunflowers and nasturtiums can be seeded directly in the soil or into patio pots and are also available for purchase. You’ll find colorful hanging baskets in stores, as well as 2-inch pots of small summer blooming plants known as “basket fillers” for creating your own basket or pot. Hanging baskets often go on clearance sale right after Mother’s Day, when they start to look a
little leggy or overgrown. A quick trim and a light feeding with liquid plant food will keep them blooming until autumn. You may find the last of this year’s summer-blooming bulbs like gladiolus, cannas, dahlias and lilies at garden centers and big box stores. Next year’s winter and spring blooming bulbs are currently available online for planting this fall: Pre-order now for the best selection and best prices. June is also the month to begin sowing seeds for winter crops. Brussels sprouts seeds should be started in trays the first week of June. That’s early enough to harvest them this autumn but late enough to avoid summer cabbage aphids and moths. Cabbages, chard and kale can also be started in seed trays for now and transplanted in July to protect the baby plants from slugs and birds. Early June is also a good time to plant leeks for winter harvest. Have a great June. I’ll see you next month when gardening classes return in July.
Gardens of the month Photos courtesy of Rhiannon Allen/Point Roberts Garden Club
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