Late May is usually a gardener’s favorite time of year! Every yards looks a bit like Munchkinland in technicolor. This spring’s weather has certainly delayed almost everything. So we find ourselves looking forward to a stellar June.

It’s almost June and by the end of the month, many a gardeners’ most hated day of the entire summer will soon be here – the annual emergence of the dreaded Japanese Beetles. Not much has changed for treatment of adult beetles, but there are a couple of really good options for controlling the grub stage.

“Don’t knock the weather. Nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change.” These words are can certainly be applied to the weather this spring. The roller coaster temperatures have had gardeners vacillating between the urge to get tomatoes in the ground and the scramble to dig up floating row covers from the back of the garage.

Gardeners are not the kind of folks who enjoy being cooped up in the house all winter. When the weather finally breaks, and plants begin to emerge from dormancy, it’s understandable that we are eager to greet every new shoot and admire every swelling bud. But, we can also be quick to pass judgment on the viability of our plants. Sometimes, too quickly.