Gardening Month by Month - June

JUNE GARDENING

I always think of June and the first real summer month. The days are long now and good weather can really be appreciated. A busy time in the garden as the last of the plants go in. The lawn needs cut regularly and the weeds coming along nicely – of course you've been removing them regularly, haven't you?

The main tasks and priorities this month are:

Pinch back Fuchsias, Chrysanthemums, Geraniums to keep them under control and encourage new, thicker growth.

Prepare flower beds and sow perennial seeds directly into the soil now that the earth has warmed up a little.

Keep checking the roses and other plants for any signs of aphids, black-spot, etc and treat with a chemical spray or dilution as necessary.

Roses like plenty of fertiliser to keep them growing as they should, so, even if you've already applied some, earlier in the year, fertilise them again to ensure good growth. Rhododendrons, Camellias and Azaleas also require to be fertilised now.

As the climbers start to really get going, make sure that they are all tied up correctly and shape them if required by pinching out new, unwanted, growth.

Annuals can be dead-headed now to encourage new flower growth.

Trim the hedges and small bushes to keep them in check.

Most of all in June and all the Summer months, keep watering flowers and vegetables, keeping them moist. This is one of the most important things to be done these months and needs to be done regularly.

Strawberries and other fruits may need to be covered with netting now to ensure that the birds don't ruin your fruit crop.

Potatoes will now be growing well and the soil needs to be heaped up around the plants with a hoe to keep the root crop from breaking out into the sunlight.
The rest of your vegetables, sown from seed will require picking out to enable them enough room to grow into a good crop. This will need to be done a few times in the coming weeks as their growth progresses.

I like to fertilise the lawn in June as well, normally with another dose of Fison's Evergreen. This should be enough for the rest of the summer and produce a luscious green lawn. Evergreen also kills off a lot of the moss and weeds which is needed in my garden as the drainage in the lawn is fairly poor.

Your house plants should be strong now and regular feeding will assist them over the summer months as well. Remember that they may need watering more often as temperatures rise.