Gardening Update: June 26, 2025

May’s cool, wet weather thankfully lingered into early June, giving new plants extra time to establish before the summer heat arrived. My rain gauge in South Charlotte recorded 5.2” since the last update on May 22nd.

Now that summer is in full swing, the sun-loving meadow and prairie flowers are in bloom or starting to bloom. Some of my favorites currently are Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Threadleaf Coreopsis, Butterfly Weed, Mountain Mint, Red Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susan and Purple Coneflower. With the increased blooms, pollinator activity has ramped up too. I’m always amazed by the diversity of insects out in the garden.

As temperatures rise, keep an eye out for heat stress—both in your plants and yourself. I recommend pausing any new planting until fall, when conditions are more favorable. Instead, focus on:

Monitoring and watering new plants
Deadheading to extend bloom time
Weeding: Not fun, but should be less and less as your garden beds fill in and assuming you don’t let the weeds go to seed / become established.
Planning and prepping beds for Fall 2025 to Spring 2026 projects (especially if Bermuda grass is present)
Simply enjoying your garden—a morning coffee stroll is my favorite

Keep Gardening,

Doug

The Food Web Simplified

How do plants support local wildlife? This short article offers a simplified overview of the food web and how your planting and maintenance choices influence biodiversity. The framework is designed to help assess the ecological impact of planting decisions.

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Interesting Gardening Content

Deadheading: Many native perennials have relatively short bloom windows (typically 2–4 weeks). Deadheading—removing spent flowers—can prevent seed formation and trigger rebloom (depending on the species).

Gardening Techniques to Tame Your Native Perennials
Chelsea Ruiz’s article for Izel Native Plants explores pruning strategies like the Chelsea chop, cutting back, and deadheading to shape native perennials and extend flowering. A must-read if you like to understand the “why” behind your garden tasks.
Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia: Guide to Deadheading
This guide lists which native perennials benefit from deadheading or cutting back. Technique-light but plant-specific. Their website is a great resource overall.

Native Species vs. Cultivars—Does It Matter?: This article helps decode those garden center labels (e.g., ‘Salsa Red Sombrero’ Purple Coneflower vs. Purple Coneflower). It also summarizes current research on how native plant cultivars compare to straight species in terms of ecological value…i.e. do the birds like the Salsa Red Sombrero coneflower as much as the plain Purple Coneflower?

Native Bees with Joe Gardener and Heather Holm
Did you know North America is home to over 4,000 native bee species—and around one-third rely exclusively on a single plant genus? Unlike familiar European honeybees, most native bees are solitary and have unique relationships with native flora. Heather Holm shares how we can better support them.

Garden Combination of the Month: Red Bee Balm, Narrow Leaf Mountain Mint and Black Eyed Susan

Besides looking good, they are also matched well from a competitiveness standpoint. The Black Eyed Susan and Narrow Leaf Mountain Mint can stand up to the sometimes thuggish Red Bee Balm. Additionally, both the Bee Balm and Mountain Mint increase the deer resistance of the Black Eyed Susans, which are frequently eaten in my yard.

Upcoming Events

Butterfly Walk at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden on July 11th at 11AM: Butterfly Walk at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden on July 11th at 11AM: Learn about local butterflies, their life cycles, and the host/nectar plants that support them on a guided walk. Free with garden admission.
https://danielstoweconservancy.org/event/butterfly-walk-july/
Camp North End: If you’re craving a “High Line”-style garden experience in Charlotte, the plantings at Camp North End are worth a visit. Native grasses and wildflowers are combined in a way that feels both natural and intentional. While the scale may not translate directly to home gardens, the repetition of flowers/colors/textures and the interplay between grasses and flowering perennials offer great inspiration. Consider adapting the look with dwarf cultivars, shorter grasses, and a tighter plant palette. Here are a few pictures from my recent visit.