A greater truth has never been told. One of my greatest struggles is dealing with things as they come. It’s so easy for me to say "I’m not doing that right now," "I’ll do it tomorrow," or "I’ll get to that someday when I have time." But we all know that when we plan to do something someday, chances are good that someday will never come. So today I will make the above bit of wisdom my mantra. I will post many copies of it around my home and office. I will stop with the excuses.

Bonnie and I answer the phone everyday and hear "Is it too late to plant?" or "Is there anything I can still plant?" or "I suppose you’re sold out of everything good to plant." and even, "I’m just not going to do much this year, it’s too late." Let us reassure you that is definitely not true. In fact, we consider June the true beginning of the planting season. In Wisconsin, May is fickle – another one of those great truths. But once we reach June, the air warms and summer rains fall creating perfect growing conditions.

Many times, after we reassure our callers and tell them we still have thousands of plants, they will come out and fill their carts with gorgeous mature specimens in a plethora of colors. They go home inspired and happy, and we are so pleased to have provided "Beauty with God’s Help" to them.

If you, too, have spent much of May procrastinating. Saying, "I’ll plant next week, and then next week and then…" We encourage you to plant today. When you are obsessing about how behind you are, or how late it is, you are missing out on so much. So join me in resolving to stop the excuses. Come on out today and let us help you turn your outdoor living spaces into your own personal paradise.

Contain those plants before they get away! Now that your veggies are off and running, don’t forget about that empty spot on your front porch or that corner of your deck or patio. Just by adding a small grouping of beautiful pots to your entrance, you can add value to your property. Let us help you choose the perfect plants for your containers. We have many sizes, colors, textures and shapes for you to choose from. From small to tall we have something for everyone, even chocolate lovers. Go to our photos on Facebook for great ideas! You’ll love these pictures taken by our own Jesse Steinke.

Ilene has chosen Buddleia as the Perennial of the Week. Available in 4 colors: Black Knight, Nanho Blue, Royal Red and Bicolor, this is a favorite perennial plant of many gardeners. I could go on and on about it, but this Butterfly Website says it much better than I ever could. What a great website for all things butterfly.

If you would like to add this wonderful ‘butterfly magnet’ to your landscape, we suggest you hurry out. When we put these on special, they go fast.

Saturday, June 12th 10AM by Ilene Isenberg. There are more choices for those less-than-sunny locations than hostas. Lest we give hostas a bad name, they are wonderful plants and there are many sizes, colors and leaf shapes to choose from to enhance your garden’s beauty. But there are also quite a few lovely perennials for shade that you may not have thought of. Ilene is not only a Master Gardener, but she is our perennial manager too, and would love to help you design, or spruce up your shady beds. She’s drawn up two free garden plans for this class –one for under a tree, and another for shady entryway. We hope to see you there.

Mark Your Calendars – You won’t want to miss the free ice cream on July 3-4th when you come out to our Cottage Grove location to celebrate our nation’s Independence

June is a great time to pinch back many of your perennials to keep them more compact. Since shorter stalks are more resilient to the wind, this is a great way to prevent your gorgeous blossoms from breaking off. Upright Garden Phlox can be cut in half to produce shorter, more compact plants. Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium) can be pinched to produce fuller plants, sturdier stalks and more flowers. Other perennials that benefit from early summer pruning include Boltonia, Chrysanthemums, Hibiscus, Obedient Plant (Physotegia), Russian Sage, Veronica, and Yarrow (Achillea).

For detailed information on how and what to pinch, check out the University of Illinois Extension for suggestions.

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