With June starting and the official beginning of summer fast approaching, it’s a good time to check out your landscaping to keep it clean and healthy and think about making additions.

The area saw its first spike of hot weather in the last week, with temperatures consistently reaching past 90 degrees.

With the increased temperature, it’s a good time to check out the height of your grass to make sure it isn’t too short.

Smithfield Gardens recommends fescue grass should stand 3 to 5 inches high, while St. Augustine strands should be 2½ inches and any other grass 1 to 1½ inches.

Another practice for the month is to remove the spent blooms on all of your plants that have individual blooms. This process, called deadheading, keeps the plant from using energy on blooms that are worn out and makes for healthier looking plants.

It is also a good time to cut the stalks of tall-growing perennials, like asters and helenium, in half to ensure the plants grow stronger and won’t bend in heavy wind and rain.

This month sees more flowers blooming than any other month in the year, and it is a good time to make any addition to your garden.

June is the peak time for hydrangeas and daylilies, and to ensure healthy and beautiful plants, nourish them with organic fertilizers and make sure they have plenty of moisture when it’s particularly dry outside.

In order to flourish, most hydrangeas need partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. For some hydrangeas, the color of the flower depends on the pH level of your soil. You can learn if it is possible to change the color of your blooms by visiting a nursery or consulting with a certified horticulturist.

To keep a healthy garden during the summer months, you should check to see if your garden has enough mulch to keep moisture in the ground and moderate the temperature of the soil.

As for vegetable gardens, it is especially important to keep weeds out this time of year. Smithfield Gardens team members recommend hand pulling and hoeing as the best ways to get the job done. It also helps the veggies to consistently water the plants.

Later this month, more than just weeds will be pestering gardens when Japanese beetles start making their way in. Be sure to start early in the month by applying grub control and killing larvae in the soil.

For more June garden tips, contact Smithfield Gardens at 238-2511.