June gardening guide
The garden is in full bloom in June, from the smallest bedding plants to towering shrubs, there is no shortage of colour! Roses are really getting into their stride and the taste of new potatoes and young carrots are also among June's highlights. Days are at their longest from the dawn chorus to summer solstice which gives gardeners the most time in the year to look after and enjoy flourishing gardens.
Checklist
- Feed roses with a granular fertiliser and water in well
- Tie sweet peas to their supports to encourage them to twine
- Tap or gently shake the blooms on tomato plants to help pollination
- Water your lawn during hot weather, especially if newly seeded or turfed
- Prune many spring-flowering shrubs
- Plant out runner and French beans sown last month once they are large enough
- Keep newly planted trees and shrubs well-watered while they establish
- Position summer hanging baskets and containers outside
- Plant out courgettes and other squashes into well manured ground
- Scoop out blanket weed from ponds to keep the water clear
Planting
Sow wallflowers in a nursery bed if you have not already done so.
Plant out half hardy perennials such as Osteospermum and Pelargoniums (Geraniums).
Transplant leeks to their final position once they have reached 25cm high.
Plant out sweetcorn in a block rather than a row for better pollination.
Maintenance
Cut established hedges to tidy them if they are growing fast.
If your garden is used by children, make sure that canes used to stake plants are topped with eye protectors.
Stake Lilies and Gladiolus growing in pots to protect them from strong winds.
Stake tall growing Dahlias as they undergo a growth spurt.
Top tips
Conserve water by deep watering the soil, ideally to 25cm – this will support plants for longer.
Pruning
Remove as many dead heads from Rhododendrons as possible before they set seed.
Prune any long new growths on evergreen shrubs such as Choysia, Viburnum Tinus and Arbutus to shape them.
Hard prune Rock Roses (Helianthemum) after flowering to keep them bushy.
Dead head oriental poppies and cut back to ground level after flowering.
Start pruning plum and cherry trees.
Start feeding tomatoes when they show the first flowers.
Wildlife and pests
Leave an area of long grass in a quiet corner of your garden for butterflies to lay their eggs.
Start collecting pieces of rotting wood or old logs and place them in a shady corner for insects.
Aphids are beginning to appear on the underside of leaves. Rub them off or spray with insecticide to stop them multiplying.
Vine weevils are easy to spot now by looking for maggots in the roots of potted plants, treat with ‘Bug Clear’ if any are found.
Harvesting
Harvest lettuce, radish, other salads and early potatoes.
