Month by month
Garden jobs for June: watering, deadheading and harvests
June brings the longest days of the year and the garden is at its most generous. Roses, perennials and climbers are in full flower, and the vegetable plot starts paying back all that spring sowing. Frosts are over everywhere except perhaps the highest ground in Scotland in the first few days. The main challenges now are dry spells, which can be prolonged in the south and east of England, and pests enjoying the soft new growth. The west and north usually get more rain, but containers dry out fast everywhere. Water early in the morning or in the evening, and try to keep up with weeds and deadheading.
Flowers and borders
Deadhead regularly to keep plants flowering. Snip off faded roses just above a leaf, unless they are varieties grown for autumn hips. Cut back early-flowering perennials such as hardy geraniums, lady’s mantle and oriental poppies to near ground level once they finish; most will produce fresh leaves and often a second flush of flowers.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs straight after they finish flowering. Weigela, mock orange and flowering currants all bloom on growth made the previous year, so cut flowered stems back to strong new shoots, and remove a few of the oldest stems at the base to keep the shrub young.
Keep tying in climbers and tall perennials. Sweet peas need picking every few days to stop them setting seed; the more you cut, the more you get. Feed containers and hanging baskets weekly with a high-potash fertiliser. Hoe borders on dry days and mulch around thirsty plants after a good soaking.
Vegetables
Sow quick crops to fill gaps: lettuce, rocket, radishes, beetroot, carrots, French beans and spring onions. In warm weather lettuce seed can fail to germinate, so sow in the evening and water the drill first, or sow in shade. Plant out the last of the tender crops such as courgettes, squashes and sweetcorn early in the month. Earth up potatoes and start lifting first earlies when the flowers open; dig a test plant before harvesting the whole row.
Water beans and peas when they flower and the pods start to swell, as that is when they need it most. Pinch out the tips of broad beans once the first pods set, to deter blackfly. Check brassica netting for gaps and look under leaves for caterpillar eggs.
Fruit
Strawberries are ripening; pick them in the morning and net the plants against birds. Peg down runners into small pots if you want new plants. Thin apples and pears after the natural June drop, leaving one or two fruits per cluster for better-sized fruit. Water fruit trees and bushes in dry spells, especially young ones and those in containers. Prune plums and cherries now, if needed, as dry summer weather reduces the risk of silver leaf disease.
Lawns
Raise the mower blades in dry weather and leave clippings on the lawn as a light mulch. A brown lawn in a drought is not dead; it recovers quickly once rain returns, so there is no need to water established grass. Trim edges after mowing, and leave a patch long for wildflowers if you started in May.
Wildlife
Pollinators are everywhere, especially on open, single flowers. Lavender, catmint, foxgloves and salvia nemorosa are buzzing all day. Keep bird baths topped up with clean water during hot spells, and leave a shallow, sloping edge in ponds so hedgehogs and frogs can get in and out. Hold off cutting hedges until nesting birds have fledged.
Indoors and under cover
Feed greenhouse tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers weekly once the first fruits set, with a high-potash feed. Pinch out side shoots on cordon tomatoes, and tie stems to their supports as they grow. Damp down paths on hot days and keep vents and doors open. Watch out for whitefly and red spider mite; sticky traps, regular misting and introducing biological controls all help.
Plants looking good this month
June is the month of the classic cottage garden:
- Roses are in their first and finest flush.
- Peonies open blowsy, scented flowers early in the month.
- Delphiniums and lupins form tall spires.
- Foxgloves self-seed in light shade.
- Hardy geraniums fill gaps at the front of borders.
- Astrantia carries papery pincushion flowers.
- Honeysuckle and star jasmine scent warm evenings.
From the plant finder
In flower in June
Good time to plant
Due for pruning
Grow your own in June
Sow now
Plant out
Ready to harvest
Problems to watch for in June
Spotted something else? Diagnose it by symptom.
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