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As we get into hotter weather, monitor the water needs of your plants, especially new plantings. Do not be fooled by the dry appearance of the bark mulch on the surface; push it aside and check the soil moisture beneath. If dry and crumbly, water; otherwise forego watering. Most established woody plants do not require supplemental watering; however, some more moisture loving plants such as birch, rhododendrons, azaleas, cranberrybush viburnums do not like extended dry periods.

Hedges, deciduous and evergreen, should be sheared in June, as new growth is almost hardened off.
Johnson's Nursery offers a wide variety of pruning services for young to intermediate trees, shrubs and evergreens.

Check plants for aphids - examine the underside of leaves as well as the stems. Ants are also a telltale evidence of aphids. The ants do not harm the plants, but literally harvest the sweet honeydew, that aphids excrete.

Inspect cranberrybush viburnum or selections for viburnum crown borer. Signs of damage include: slowness or failure to leaf out, dead stems/branches, or the onset of early fall color. Larva bore into the crown of the viburnum near the soil line; you can often see bark and wood tissue removed in a collar-like fashion around the base of the stem or the entire crown. This borer typically affects stressed plants during periods of drought; supplemental watering is the easiest preventative approach.

Now is the time to order spruces and pines as we dig them after July 4th. Many people ask us about the "best time to plant", usually the harvesting of plants has more of a timetable than planting. We prefer that some of the evergreens flush their new growth and have a hardening period before digging them again. The exceptions are: boxwoods, yews, arborvitaes and junipers; these can usually be dug all season.