5 YEAR GUARANTEE As the days are longer and the sun is warming our gardens, June is a wonderful month to open our doors and windows wide and get out into our gardens. Enjoy the longer evenings and be sure to catch the early morning stillness which is a great time to reflect and plan the days gardening task list.
Here are a few things that you can be getting on with this month.
- Be sure to hoe your borders regularly as to prevent weeds from becoming too much of a problem.
- Pinch out the side shoots on your cordon tomatoes to create strong plants perfect for producing a huge yield of fruit this summer. Water vegetables and fruit in containers regularly, especially during dry sunny weather and apply a moisture locking mulch around thirsty crops such as beans and courgettes to keep moisture around their roots.
- Apply tomato feed regularly to fruiting veg crops, including tomatoes, courgettes, pumpkins and chilies.
- Now is the time to position your summer hanging baskets and containers in the garden. Whether you have been growing them on or have just purchased them pre-planted, be sure to give them a good water and avoid putting them out if high winds are forecast as this will prevent the delicate plants from rooting properly. Be sure to give them a liquid feed every few weeks to encourage flowering and deadhead regularly to prolong your summer display.
- Summer borders and pots are now filling out and you can see where you need to plant your summer bedding – get planting! There are so many wonderful bedding plants that you can use to create a wonderful show of colour throughout the summer months.
- Put houseplants outside for the summer in a warm, sheltered spot to enjoy the fresh air and extra light and start watering them more freely as temperature and light levels increase.
- Don’t forget to clip your box hedging and topiary in order to maintain a crisp and tight look.
- Cover soft fruits with netting to prevent birds from eating all your fruits – don’t let them eat all your hard work!
- Be sure to feed any fast growing plants with fertiliser to give them all they need to provide you with a stunning display.
- Ensure you keep a look out for any aphid that may start appearing on your roses and lupins as the sooner you see them the sooner you can treat the problem before they get too out of hand.
- Prune late-spring or early-summer shrubs after flowering, such as weigela and philadelphus, thinning out the older stems.
- Apply a combined weed, feed and moss-killer to your lawns and ensure you keep them well watered to produce the lushest of lawns!
- Continue watering any new plantings until they’re well established, often a thorough soak every few days is better than a spray everyday.