ELAINE CERNY: MY GARDEN PATH — June: Bloom or gloom?

After the crazy weather we’ve had, I don’t know what to think. Hopefully, June will bring us lots of gorgeous weather.

The best thing about cool and rainy weather is that it’s great for transplanting and we’re doing plenty of that. Just about anything can be planted about now.

If your lilacs have finished blooming and need a trim, remember to do it soon, as waiting longer than a month afterward will cut off next year’s tiny buds.

Once again I’m hearing people say the peonies need ants in order to bloom. Baloney! The ants are there to eat sap from the buds and honeydew that is secreted by aphids. No other reason. A peony bush that doesn’t set any buds probably has one of these problems: it’s been recently moved or is planted too deeply. The ideal depth is 2 inches below ground, no deeper. This refers to the highest point on the root ball.

It’s common to be offered free plants at this time of the year. Some of the more common ones include creeping charlie, snow on the mountain, mint, sweet woodruff and lamium. Keep in mind that there’s a reason they’re free. They spread like crazy. When reading labels, beware of plants called ground covers as they’ll do just that, cover the ground. If you must have any of these, you’d be smart to put them in containers only.

My raspberry canes are full of flower buds and will no doubt be open before this hits print. These plants are very easy to grow and don’t need much right now. Just give them lots of water if we hit a dry spell while the fruit is forming.

Lots of perennials have been putting on a show this spring. My favorite is always the tall bearded irises. As usual, they’re just gorgeous. If you have some that haven’t bloomed, they are probably either not getting enough sunshine or need to be divided. They need at least half a day of sun, good drainage and should be divided every four or five years. I’ll talk about dividing in July as that’s the best time to do it in our area.

If you’re planting extra tall tomato plants, there’s a trick to make them shorter and bushier. Just dig the hole deeper than usual and place the plant down to where the bottom leaves are just above ground level. They will send roots out along the stem that’s now underground.

That reminds me of something I’ve read. “Gardening is cheaper than a shrink … and you get tomatoes!”

• • •

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is currently an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls. Her column has appeared in The Press every other Sunday from early March until late October for the past 12 years.