Gardening Chores - June

June:

June is the beginning of summer and brings long, warm days. It is a month for essential maintenance to keep your garden thriving so focus on regular deadheading to prolong flowering and ensure plants are well-watered. It is also the ideal time to plant out summer bedding and to begin harvesting early vegetables and fruits. Don’t forget to sit and enjoy your garden over the summer…sit back, relax and reap the rewards for all the work you put in months before.

In the Flower Garden

Hoe your borders regularly to keep weeds at bay.
Once the risk of frost is completely gone, you can move hanging baskets and containers outside.
Stake tall plants like sweetpeas, delphiniums, and lupins to protect them from wind damage.
After they have finished flowering, split irises
Move spring bulbs to a temporary home to make way for your new summer bedding.
You can now plant out summer bedding plants like Busy Lizzies, marigolds, and pansies.
Feed flowers weekly to encourage more blooms and healthy growth.
Deadhead fading flowers to encourage a second display and extend the flowering season.
Trim back trailing plants after their first flowering to encourage strong and healthy new growth.
Make sure all your beds and borders are well-watered during dry weather.
You can begin to sow winter bedding plants, including ornamental cabbages, kale and winter pansies.
If you want bushy plants, pinch out the leading shoots on chrysanthemums. If you prefer fuller blooms, remove a few of the buds.
Don't forget to feed plants in containers as they will quickly use up the nutrients.

The Vegetable Plot & Orchard

Hoe between your rows to keep weeds from competing with your vegetables.
Pinch out side-shoots on tomato plants to direct the plant's energy into fruiting.
Harvest early salads and potatoes to make way for new crops.
Sow a new batch of seeds every fortnight to ensure a constant supply of fresh vegetables.
Plant out vegetable seedlings that you started in pots or seed trays.
You can place your tomato plants outside once the risk of cold nights has passed.

Fruit & Hedges

Spray apple trees fortnightly if they are suffering from mildew or scab.
Make sure to water fruit bushes and trees regularly, especially during dry spells.
Thin out fruit tree branches after they drop their excess fruit, which helps the remaining fruit grow larger and healthier.
Tie fruit bushes to canes if necessary for support.
Check netting that has been protecting fruit from birds and other pests.
Feed rhubarb crowns once they have finished producing to help them build up energy for next year.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs once they have finished flowering.

Garden Care & Pests

Mow your lawn weekly to keep it looking neat and tidy.
Edge lawns with a half-moon edging iron to define your borders.
If you haven't done so in May, apply a high-nitrogen lawn fertiliser at the beginning of the month.
Check roses for insects and disease, and treat them with a systemic fungicide or insecticide if necessary.
Inspect lilies and containerised pots for unwanted pests.
Keep on top of slugs and snails using pellets or your preferred method of removal.
Wash caterpillar eggs from the underside of leafy vegetables.
Control the spread of bindweed by using a glyphosate-based weed killer.