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Gardening Tips from ‘The English Lady’ for June—”The Beginning of a Hopeful Summer”

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Peonies need careful attention at this time of year to create a stunning display like this. File photo.
Maureen Haseley-Jones is “The English Lady.”

We have had a few cool nights recently which are just wonderful, sleeping with the windows open. I cannot remember the last time we had a real spring like we experienced this year, with plenty of gentle rain. This beneficial rain is wonderful for all the spring plant growth and such a pleasure freshening the air for us all.

I am so in awe of the miracle of Mother Nature and the symbiotic relationship between plants and all of God’s creatures. When I looked out of my window from my old home in Old Lyme, a few years ago, I could see the buds opening on my long border of peonies which had been planted by the original homeowner in the early nineteen hundreds. As I looked, I recalled the symbiotic relationship between ants and peonies.

A question often asked of me is “Maureen, should I worry about ants on my peonies?” My answer, “That’s not a problem, lots of ants on the peonies just illustrate that you have healthy plants with big buds that are producing bountiful nectar which attracts the ants.” Ants are very useful creatures; their presence indicates that there are aphids and whiteflies in that area of your garden and the ants feed on these troublesome insects.

Make sure that your peonies get plenty of water, also check the PH of the soil which should register between 6.5 and 7.0. In early June, I pinched off the side buds of the Peonies, as by doing this, you will produce big terminal blooms on the plant. When the bloom has passed, apply a light application of composted manure to encourage the soil animals and the manure bacteria to keep your soil healthy.

A word of caution: Do not cut the peonies to about six inches from the ground, until after the first frost in November. Before then, in September, plant or transplant Peonies to barely cover the pink eyes on the roots with soil, just enough so the plant does not fall over.

Now, in late spring, many insect pests are appearing in large numbers in your garden. I just looked out of my patio door and noticed that it is past time for me to tend my perennial border there where my Nepeta, Salvia, daylilies and other perennials are getting inundated with weeds and insects of every denomination. I am the answer to the weeds, but a useful creature against the pests is the lowly toad.

I suggest putting some toad houses in and around your borders. You can purchase toad houses from the garden center, or you can use an old clay pot that is cracked and make sure that the crack is two to four inches wide to act as a door so the toad can enter. In addition, put a small saucer as a floor under the pot with some rocks, and keep the rocks damp, so that your friendly toad enjoying their toad abode will settle in comfortably and snack on all the pesky bugs.

June is always the month for roses.

June is the month when roses begin to bloom. I have always used David Austin roses in my garden and in my landscape designs. I find David Austin roses are the most trouble-free roses and offer great rewards; among those rewards are that they are repeat bloomers with wonderful fragrances and colors.

Some of my favorite David Austin roses are:

  • ‘A Shropshire Lad,’ a soft peachy pink.
  • ‘Abraham Darby’ with petals that are a blend of apricot and yellow.
  • ‘Fair Bianca,’ a pure white.
  • ‘Heritage,’ which opens as a soft clear pink.
  • My favorite is ‘Evelyn’. Evelyn has a large apricot saucer shaped bloom with a fragrance that is second to none offering a luscious fruity tone, of fresh peaches and apricots.

Feed your roses with composted manure, keeping the manure and mulch about six inches away from the base of the rose and add a few more inches of manure once a month until mid-August. At that time stop feeding so the roses can gently move into a much-needed slow dormancy. No other rose food is required except the manure and the mulch which attracts carbon from the atmosphere which in turn produces the humus component.

Unfortunately, Japanese beetles are attracted to roses, so I suggest acquiring Japanese beetle traps which should be placed far away from your borders on the perimeter of the property. If you find some Japanese beetles have escaped the traps and landed on the rose, then in the early morning, quietly take a white sheet and place it under the rose and gently shake the bush. You will find the beetles do not awaken and will fall onto the sheet, which can be gathered up and the beetles dumped into your closed trash bin.

A tip for keeping cut roses fresh is to cut the roses in the early morning, just above a five-leaf cluster, and place stems in a container of lukewarm water. Then, when indoors, recut the stems at a one and half inch angular cut, under warm running water, and place cut roses in a vase filled with warm water. Do not remove the thorns from cut roses, removing the thorns reduces their indoor life by as much as three days.

Add peat moss to blue hydrangeas to increase the intensity of their color.

HYDRANGEAS:
These need plenty of water, as before they were introduced to our gardens they flourished in wetland areas. Apply aged manure around the hydrangeas, which should be planted in full sun and spaced at least four feet apart for good ventilation to prevent mildew from occurring. If you have blue hydrangea macrophylla and want a more vibrant shade of blue, add some peat moss on top of the manure. The acidity in the peat will produce a lovely deep shade of blue.

WISTERIA:
Regular pruning through spring and summer is the main factor to help this arrogant vine to flower. Prune several times during the growing season, which means pruning every two weeks by at least six inches on each stem.

CLEMATIS WILT:
If you have this problem with the clematis, you will notice it early because the shoots wilt and die. This disease is impossible to cure, as it is soil born. Soil born means that it is not possible to plant another clematis of that variety in that area of the garden. However, you can plant the viticella variety; Clematis viticella are vigorous, free flowering blooms and are not susceptible to wilt. Some good choices of this variety are Blue Belle, Etoile Violette, both are purple and Huldine, which is white.

MULCHING:
Mulch your gardens this month when the soil has warmed up to 55 degrees. As you perform that task, be careful around trees. Apply the mulch at least six inches from the base of the trunk; any closer can cause rot and disease to occur in the bark and roots of the tree.

Also, trees that are mulched too close to the trunk invite mice and other rodents to inhabit the tree and gnaw on the trunk. Your garden can be mulched to a depth of between two and three inches with a natural fine dark brown hardwood mulch. Please do not use dyed RED MULCH, which is poisonous. Keep your garden natural, without any poisonous herbicides and pesticides.

CONTAINER GARDENS:
If you have room for one pot you have room for a number placed close together with different shapes and sizes creates your own miniature garden. Apart from regular pots, the most unexpected objects make interesting containers.

A friend who cut down trees this past winter left the stumps and hollowed them out to make containers. One large and two smaller stumps together made an interesting combo.

Also check in your basement, shed or barn to see if you have an old wheelbarrow, even if the wheelbarrow has a missing wheel like mine, which I painted blue with eco-conscious paint. Then I placed it near the kitchen door filled with bright colored vines, miniature grasses and small perennials.

Or you may unearth a large ceramic jar like the one I came across in one of the original cattle stalls of the stone and soil floored barn. This antique three-foot-tall ceramic vinegar container, replete with a hole where the vinegar tap was inserted, is ideal for drainage. I planted the jar with multi-colored perennials, which looked great on my newly painted blue bench alongside my red milk shed.

LAWN CARE:
Do not forget to add organic grub control through July, so that you help to keep down the mole infestation; remember no grubs means less food for the moles.

POWDERY MILDEW:
Keep an eye open for powdery mildew, especially after rain when humidity returns. My recipe for powdery mildew is as follows:
In a sprayer, mix two tablespoons of baking soda, one tablespoon of vegetable or horticultural oil in a gallon of water and spray the mildew.

Hydrangeas and Summer phlox are particularly prone to develop this problem. To help counteract the mildew problem, I recommend using phlox Miss Lingard or phlox David, which are the white phlox and are the most mildew resistant.

Monarda, commonly known as bee balm, are also affected by mildew, and the one I have found to be the most resistant is “Cambridge Scarlet.”

I hope these tips are useful to you during this busy time of year in the garden. Remember to stretch, hydrate and enjoy the burgeoning promise of your garden and I’ll see you next month. If you would like some more gardening advice, contact my son Ian at LlandscapesbyIan.com. I am sure you would enjoy speaking with him as he is full of knowledge and, as the saying goes, “The apple does not fall far from the tree.”

If you would like to ask me a gardening question, please email me MaureenHaseleyJones@gmail.com.

Maureen Haseley-Jones

About the author: Maureen Haseley-Jones is a member of a family of renowned horticultural artisans, whose landscaping heritage dates back to the 17th century. She is one of the founders, together with her son Ian, of The English Lady Landscape and Home Company. Maureen and Ian are landscape designers and garden experts who believe that everyone deserves to live in an eco-conscious environment and enjoy the pleasure that it brings. Maureen learned her design skills from both her mother and grandmother, and honed her horticultural and construction skills while working in the family nursery and landscape business in the U.K. Her formal horticultural training was undertaken at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in Surrey.

Talking Transportation: There’s Still Some Unfinished Business

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Jim Cameron

The end of June has a sense of finality. School wraps up, celebratory parties are held and everyone looks forward to the summer. But there’s a lot of unfinished business on the transportation front worth remembering.

AMTRAK AVELIA:
Whatever happened to Amtrak’s promise to have the new Acela trains in service “by the spring”? The initial contract for 28 train sets was signed in 2016 with the first prototype of the sleek nine-car sets delivered for testing in 2020. The plan was for all the new trains to be running between Washington and Boston by 2022.

Computer simulations found problems as real life testing continued. By 2024 the hope was for the new trains to be running by now. But we’re still waiting. Amtrak’s only explanation for the latest delays is “crew testing.”

The new trains have been sighted in New Jersey (where maximum speeds of 160 mph are possible on short stretches of track) but I’ve not seen Avelia on Connecticut tracks … yet.

DIGITAL DRIVERS LICENSES:
In September 2021 the Connecticut DMV and Governor Lamont announced that ours would be among the first states to allow smartphone users to show a digital version of their driver’s license on their devices. To date, 17 states offer such options. But still not Connecticut.

When I last asked DMV what was delaying the launch, their PR team gave me some boilerplate answer about “testing” and “security”… but no announced date for the launch.

How can California have solved those issues but we can’t?

WALK BRIDGE:
Built in 1896, this crucial rail bridge in South Norwalk has a history of problems. In one year alone the bridge was stuck 16 out of 271 times it opened. Now it’s undergoing a $1.5 billion rebuild, not just of the bridge but its supports and nearby tracks. The IMAX theater in the adjacent Maritime Museum was demolished to make way, but work on the bridge structure itself is still years away. The removal of the existing tower structure for overhead wires is scheduled to begin in 2026 with the new bridge (finally!) being finished in 2029.

DARIEN TRAIN STATION:
Last rebuilt in 2003, the station’s platforms were starting to crumble. By 2018 it was clear that CDOT would have to replace them. The $40 million contract called for first-of-their-kind heated platforms, obviating the need for corrosive salt to melt ice and snow. Half of the platforms were removed and the station waiting room was closed.

But now, years later, construction delays and problems with the electrical system have slowed the work, initially promised to be done by now. It’s hoped the first half of the new platforms may be ready later this summer. Then the other half of the platforms will be demolished and rebuilt. By March 2026 the work will (hopefully) be done and the station’s 1800+ daily commuters will be able to use the new station platforms.

Engineering projects take time. But with every ceremony celebrating the launch of a new project there are overly-optimistic promises of speedy completion. The pols take the credit while we just wait and grow more cynical watching the costs rise.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Talking Transportation: Overnight Travel From Worst to First

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Jim Cameron

There’s something very satisfying about the efficiency of overnight travel.  In the best of conditions you make your journey and awake, refreshed, at your destination.  But how well you sleep depends a lot on how you travel.

Here’s my list of overnight travel options, from worst to first:

DRIVING ALL NIGHT: In my carefree youth I once drove all night from Chicago to NYC.  Tired and wired (on a lot of coffee) I encountered no traffic and made really good time but arrived exhausted.  Not a good option … and probably not safe.

SLEEPING IN THE AIRPORT: This one doesn’t really count, as you’re not really traveling.  And those not-so-comfy chairs at the gate don’t really allow much sleep.

The good news is that many airports (ATL, DFW, JFK) now offer Minute Suites with daybeds and showers. You can book them for an hour ($48) or for an eight-hour overnight ($175).

SLEEPING ON THE PLANE: It’s not by chance that overnight flights are called “red eyes”.  Sure, flying overnight is fast, but if you’re sitting in coach on a crowded plane, good luck with any shut-eye.  This is why I hate flying to Europe.  You arrive jet-lagged, in a different time zone and anxious to just sleep, not go sight-seeing.

Now, if you’re in Business Class, rest is possible … at a price.  And if money is no object, there are ultra-luxe accommodations like on Air France’s La Premiere, a private suite 10-ft. square with three-star gourmet meals curated by Michelin-starred chefs, served on porcelain with Christofle cutlery … and a full bed.  Roundtrip fare JFK-Paris, about $20,000.

TAKING THE BUS: “Riding the dog” (Greyhound) is not my idea of fun anytime, but there are some private companies re-thinking bus travel with much comfier accommodations. In Texas, Vonlane offers “luxury motor coaches” with Business Class seating.  Similar service between NYC and DC is offered by private carriers but not on the overnights.

TRAVEL BY SHIP: Alas, not many options here aside from cruising or crossing the Atlantic.  But in the old days, there were steamboats plying the waters between Hartford and New York City.  As I wrote a few months back, the 14-18 hour journey had both “deck class” and cabin class accommodations.

TRAVEL BY TRAIN: Not surprising that this is my favorite option.  But as with flying, if you’re stuck in coach class your slumber may be less than optional.  Amtrak offers bedrooms … from Roomettes to Bedroom Suites … but they’re always booked weeks in advance and are far too expensive.

There are several start-ups looking to offer much nicer (and affordable) sleeping cars, like Dreamstar, which hopes to launch next year between San Francisco and LA.  And Lunatrain, running NYC to Atlanta and Chicago.

We’ll have to see if either company is successful in its launch, modeled after the highly popular NightJet train service you’ll find throughout Europe. Even in Japan, the country that launched true high-speed rail 50 years ago, there are sleeper trains offering everything from cabins to tatami mats.

So, as you plan your summer travels, check out these options.  You’ll save on hotel rooms and maybe have an adventure!

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Talking Transportation: Wires Down on Metro-North Cause Multiple Delays

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Jim Cameron

We take our train service for granted. For the 80,000 daily Connecticut riders on Metro-North the service is dependable and on-time … usually. But not last Thursday evening (June 5), the hottest day of the year (so far), when the overhead catenary power lines were dragged down near Westport. No power means no trains.

What caused the problem won’t be known for a while. Given the heat it might be “wire sag.” Or maybe it was a worn out pantograph carbon shoe (the thing on top of the train that touches the catenary power line.)  Whatever the cause, the results were fast and long-lasting.

Scores of trains were delayed throughout the Northeast Corridor, both on Metro-North and Amtrak. But two were stranded between stations with no power … and no AC. One, an Amtrak train carrying 400 people, got very hot. Because the windows don’t open, people started to get upset according to media reports.

Metro-North trains have long carried emergency water supplies for such incidents, but not Amtrak trains.

Eventually diesel trains came to the rescue (along with local fire fighters), but the delays were far from over … lingering into Friday’s service the next day.

How did passengers on the delayed and rerouted trains make out?  Based on interviews, pretty well given the circumstances and Metro-North’s quick response.

Substitute buses are usually the answer, but at the peak of rush hour (when the incident occurred) most buses were already on their regular runs. It’s not like there’s a fleet of spare buses on standby. And remember … a full Metro-North train can carry 1000 passengers. A bus, maybe 60 (including standees.)

A reporter friend of mine, who lives in eastern Connecticut, grabbed the 5:22 p.m. train from Grand Central to New Haven and, within minutes of departure the hundreds of passengers onboard were warned of problems: the train would terminate at South Norwalk.

There he caught a bus, only to be dumped somewhere in East Norwalk when the driver pulled to a stop and said “I’m done working, everybody off. There’s another bus coming.”  

“None of us knew where we were,” said my friend, eventually paying $120 for a cab to West Haven where he’d parked his car. He eventually got home about 11:45 p.m.

“Everybody was pretty ‘chill’ and patient,” he said, impressed that Metro-North staffers wearing distinctive vests were at the stations directing the throngs. “I’m just glad that Metro-North was doing something,” he said. “The whole experience taught us just how vulnerable we are when things go wrong.”

Another colleague, Paul Murnane from WINS, caught an 8 p.m. train from Grand Central, getting no further than Greens Farms where the platform was jammed with tired travelers. Sure enough, vested railroad staffers directed the throngs down a hill to three waiting buses, which immediately filled up and departed. More buses were promised and quickly arrived. Murnane’s bus even got a State Police escort, arriving in Fairfield at 11:30 p.m.

Again, he says the crowds were patient and well behaved. “It’s hard to have a riot in Vineyard Vines,” he said, commenting on the riders’ summer attire. A 40-year rider of these rails, he too was impressed with the railroad’s response.

Stuff happens on a railroad depending on aging infrastructure. So if you’re taking a train, always have a “plan B”.  And BYO water.

And kudos to Metro-North for their handling of this situation, especially for keeping passengers informed.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Talking Transportation: Out-of-State License Plate Fraud is Top Form of Tax Evasion in CT

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Jim Cameron

“This is the number one form of tax evasion in CT. Connecticut is losing millions annually and our DMV does not care.”

So says Stonington Tax Assessor Jennifer Lineaweaver, President of the state association for her profession (the CCAO). She’s speaking of CT residents who register their cars in other states to avoid local property taxes. “CT is also losing money on registrations, emissions, insurance and unpaid parking tickets that cannot be enforced,” she says.

It’s super easy to get Maine plates for your vehicles… without even traveling to the state or having an address there. You can even register in Montana, a scheme especially popular with expensive motor home owners.

A couple of years ago Vermont admitted there were 3600 cars registered in that state by Connecticut residents. In Maine there were 1400. In Bridgeport, City Councilman Alfredo Castillo was even caught with five cars registered next door in Shelton, trying to save himself $1300 in property tax.

“I am absolutely certain that those numbers are extremely low,” says Assessor Lineaweaver.  So the losses are even worse than you might think.

The problem is there’s almost no enforcement of Connecticut laws.

“Connecticut DMV says that ‘taxation’ is not their issue,” she says. “A few years ago, we had the law changed so that DMV would have to look up any out-of-state plate that the assessor requests and DMV had the law reversed a year later.  During the one year [the law] was in place, DMV refused to comply with the law and said they would have the law repealed the next year, which they did.”

Not getting much help from DMV, some cities have hired private firms to help. In 2022, Danbury contracted Capital Tax Recovery to scan license plates throughout the city. Over 8,000 vehicles were under investigation. The firm pocketed 40% of the additional tax revenue collected as their fee, with no upfront cost to the city. In Waterbury they caught 4000 cars. In Stamford almost 8000 cars were caught, bringing that city $1.3 million.

Many towns allow anonymous reporting of scofflaws. If your neighbor has Montana plates you can also wish them good luck getting a town dump sticker or beach pass requiring proof of local residence.

Connecticut DMV Commissioner Tony Guerrera tells me the problem with out-of-state plates is that drivers often claim legal residence in another state, like Florida.  “If they live there 6 months and a day, they’re considered legal residents [of Florida]” he told me.  

But Connecticut law mandates that vehicles “garaged” in a municipality—meaning regularly parked overnight, even on the street—must be taxed there, regardless of where they may be officially registered.  Spend your winter in the Sunshine State but more than 90 days each summer in Connecticut, and you have to pay, even with those Florida plates. The penalty is a $1000 fine.

In Connecticut, the vehicle property tax is a significant source of revenue for municipalities: $1 billion a year.  But why does a car in New Britain pay four times the tax than the same vehicle in Greenwich? These inequities just encourage tax avoidance which is, apparently, rampant and unchecked.

“We don’t have the staff [to enforce this],” the DMV Commissioner laments. His agency has its own sworn, gun-carrying police force, but Guerrera says they only work on truck inspections… even though “registration compliance” is, according to law, one of their duties.

How is our legislature handling this problem?  With a “task force” which met seven times in 2023 considering reforms.  But never reached a consensus and never approved their final report.  In any case, their draft recommendations were given a thumbs-down by CT Dept of Revenue Service Commissioner and former mayor of Danbury Mark Boughton.  

So, what’s a car owner to do?  Well, I hear that Montana is a nice place to visit in the summer.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.