What To Do In The Garden In June

This is one of those glorious months in the garden, when the work really begins to pay off.

Now that night-time frosts are no longer a possibility, I’ve been busy planting the more tender plants out in the garden. Having first hardened them off to acclimatise them to the real world of wind, rain & fluctuating temperatures.

Vegetables:

Sow seeds

To keep a continual flow of vegetables to pick. Lettuce & beetroot are my priorities here as we love them, & eat some form of lettuce almost every day for lunch, also beetroot & it’s great for juicing.

Give tomato plants a tall stake & pinch out all the side shoots of cordon ones, so they dont put energy into growing unnecessary leaves.

The Rest Of The Garden:

Sweet Peas:

These have finally taken off, they’re always a bit tardy to get going after starting life in the greenhouse. At first they need coaxing round their supports, make sure they’re small enough for the tiny tendrils, then there’s no stopping them. How I’m looking forward to picking a deliciously scented bunch.

Watering:

This needs some consideration. Too much & soft sappy growth results, loved by slugs & other insect baddies, too little & they struggle to reach their full potential. My tips are:

• keep an eye on the weather forcaste & don’t water if rain is due, remembering that it is just a forcaste & rain may not appear,
• prioritise & water containers first, & more frequently, they dry out so quickly. Mulching the surface to cover the soil helps here too.
• established shrubs don’t need as much water as small plants & seedlings

Mulching with home-made compost or soil improver onto damp soil, keeps moisture in the soil longer, so less irrigation is needed.

Dead-heading:

Roses have stormed along in the last few days, I’m deadheading to prolong the flowering for as long as possible. This goes for other flowering plants as well.

Weeding:

My husband who is not an avid gardener, loves to do this as he wanders round the garden. Like most gardens we have a couple of weeds that have made themselves at home here. I give him one of the weeds for identification, then we’re both happy that he wont pull up something precious. Have you noticed how some weeds manage to avoid detection until they get quite big?, so an extra vigilant person is very helpful.

Sow Biennials:

In case you need reminding these are plants that grow in their first year & flower the next.Now is the ideal time to sow spring-flowering biennials like wallflowers. Once they’re up & have a 3 pairs of leaves, they can be transplanted to where they are too flower. I sow mine in plant pots as I just dont have room anywhere else.

Dahlias:

I’ve learned the hard way, that these need staking they grow, its too late when they’ve grown crooked or worst still, broken under the weight.

All the info above about watering applies here too.

Hampton Garden Show, one of my favourites is fast approaching. It’s in a beautiful setting next to the River Thames with the Palace in the backdrop. There are show gardens to inspire, though I seem o remember there were more in past years, & a plant filled marquee. Unlike the Chelsea Show you can buy plants here.

1-7th July Hampton Court show, buy tickets here

Enjoy this month in your garden.

Jill

all photos: Jill Anderson.