GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: June Is Busting Out All Over!

6 days ago
3 min read

By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2026.

June Is Busting Out All Over!

With the advent of climate change, we need to “roll with the punches” so to speak. This year the ‘First Love’ Gardenia had its first blossom of the season on May 1, and the magnolia tree, which used to bloom at the end of June and all through July, was also blooming on the first of May.

We had an extremely hot March. The hottest March ever recorded in San Diego County. This played havoc with a lot of our flowering shrubs, vines, and trees. It also will affect vegetables and fruits.

As I wrote back in April, the Wisteria in the garden, which looks fabulous every year, was having a hard time this year because of the extremely hot March temperatures. Wisterias, originally from China and Japan, are used to colder temperatures while dormant in the wintertime. They are not used to hot weather and especially so early which caused the flowers and buds to wilt, and in many instances not open. In the end, the Wisteria was still beautiful, although different and not as full in areas.

We all need to figure out different ways to make it all work with these changes. It can be done and is being done successfully. It’s a learning process. If we can roll with the whole thing, it’s not so frustrating. I am enjoying the flowers that are blooming early in my garden.

A girlfriend asked me to make lavender wands with her in my garden. I grow culinary lavender, Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence'. The culinary lavender varieties are aromatic, and they do well in our San Diego climate.

Want to learn to make lavender wands? Here's a link -

How to make lavender wands | Better Homes and Gardens (bhg.com.au )

(FYI - Lavender wands are also called bottles and rattles.)

There are even edible versions such as this found in Mother Earth Living magazine.

From Garden to Table: Candied Lavender Wands Recipe by Kathy Gehrt

From Garden to Table: Candied Lavender Wands Recipe - Mother Earth Living

GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: Growing Lavender In Your Garden

Lavender wand instructions:

1) Pick 16 long stems of lavender

2) Make a bunch and tie a colorful ribbon tightly just below the buds

3) Carefully start folding down the stems over the flowers

4) After the stems are all folded over the flowers, start weaving in and out over under

5) After covering all of the buds with a tight in and out, weave tie a knot with the ribbon

6) Cut the stems to be even

Now you have a lovely aromatic lavender wand that you can give as a gift or tie to a hanger with your clothing to keep away the moths in your closet. You can put them next to your bed or even in the bed for a lovely fragrance, just move them out before you go to sleep. You can put them in with your sweaters in drawers or just have them out for decoration. They make lovely gifts and if you use different colored ribbons, that’s a lot of fun too.

Lavender wand variation. Photo credit: Francesca Filanc.

For a simple variation, just cut several sprigs of lavender and tie them just below the buds with a pretty ribbon and lay them around the house in the bathroom or different areas. They make lovely gifts also.