By Terriesa Torode

Hello everyone, here are a few jobs to be done in June

This is a time of the year that we feel lighter and happier and its no wonder with so much glory surrounding us, from hedgerows spilling with foliage and flowers, our gardens are a blaze with colour, the woodlands are fresh and vibrantly green. Fields are lush and the birds are in full swing of nesting. Colour everywhere folks!

Dead heading

This is done to encourage flowers to keep flowering.

Some perennials flowered earlier and these can now be cut back and some of these may produce flowers later in the summer once again. Phlox, Penstemons and Delphiniums all enjoy this cutting back of their flowers. Annuals must have their flowers dead headed because otherwise the flower will think it has done its job and sets seed. Once this has started an annual is very hard to get to flower again so deadhead regular all flowers like Begonias, Dahlias, Sweet peas, Violas and Pansies.

Vegetables

Continue to harvest all salad vegetables and remember to always keep sowing a few seeds every couple of weeks. This way you will have a plentiful supply of these tasty vegetables all summer long.

Plant out all Tomatoes, Aubergines, Courgettes, Sweet corn and Squashes, Marrows and French and Runner beans now there is no chance of frost in the garden. Feed these with a high potash fertiliser. Place supports before planting, so no roots are damaged and tie in the new shoots when they are growing onto the supports. Earth up main crop potatoes every two weeks and keep an eye out for blight if these weather conditions stay with us – warm rainy days. Earth up celery as it grows and start to sow your winter vegetables so the plants can grow over the summer months and be strong for the autumn planting. Plant out winter brassicas if already sown these. Protect all brassicas with netting, if you haven’t already noticed this but pigeons enjoy a tasty cabbage head. The netting also prevents the cabbage butterfly from laying her eggs on your rich greens.

Fruit

Keep an eye for grey mould on your strawberries. There are no chemicals nowadays to help with this problem so pick every strawberry that you see has this disease. Do not place in the compost bin as this only spreads the disease. Any time you remove a diseased shoot from any fruit always burn or place in the rubbish, try to remove from the garden as it only spreads all diseases around the garden as many plants are closely related. Place pheromone traps up in the trees to prevent the coddling moth from being a nuisance and causing disease, one trap is enough for five trees. Gooseberries can be thinned out now and when the apples are growing remove some of these too but only after the natural June drop, and only the weak apples in a bunch, ideally one or two apples per bunch should be saved. If your blackcurrants are not looking great as in their leaves are all distorted and smaller, this is a disease called reversion, and the plants will have to be lifted and burnt. Do not plant in the exact same place as before, choose a new position as the disease could very well be in the soil.

Keep tying all shoots of Blackberries, Loganberries and Tay-berries. Prune excess growth from vines by pinching out shoots at a leaf beyond a cluster. Vines in this country will only produce three or four bunches per vine so all other growth is not needed. If you are growing strawberries and do not need any more plants then remove all runners, as its only taking energy from the mother plant. If you do need some new strawberry plants, then allow only four runners per plant of around five plants. This should ensure a fresh supply of runners and the rest of the plants can produce all the tasty fruit.

Houseplants

These will be growing well now, and these can also enjoy a time outside if you like. Always take a sheltered part of the garden, no strong sunlight and no strong winds as you are taking them out of a house where these do not exist. Inside fertilise every week all plants in the house. Orchids get fed when in flower so if they are not flowering leave until later in the year. Use saucers filled with gravel underneath large foliage plants filled with water and spray these twice a week. For large, leafed varieties clean their leaves to help them breath. Water cacti once a week and some plants may need twice a week. Always use rainwater for Azaleas, Cyclamen and some ferns. Pot up all plants needing this treatment so they do not suffer and check for pests as this is the time you will see them for instance- spider mite, aphids and scale insects.

Lawns

It is important to mention, if you did not fertilise your lawn in spring then find a summer fertilise and apply to the whole lawn. Edge your lawns every month to prevent grass growing into borders.

Biennials

These can be sown early June for flowering next year and some of our most favourite plants are these delightful flowering plants. Foxgloves, Sweet Williams and Wallflowers are just some examples and real cottage garden favourites. A biennial will grow leaves in its first year and the second-year flowers are produced in abundance so do not worry if you only see leaves this year.

Annuals

You have just about enough time to create a show of colour if you sow annuals now. Use gaps in the border and prepare the ground beforehand. Remove all weeds, gently fork over the area and rake until smooth and large clump free. Sow the annuals then water, weed out a few weeks later and maybe place a slug deterrent down. Grow your own cut flowers by using annuals to provide some very delicate or unusual flowers to go in your summer picked bunches.

Obviously, we all think of sweet peas but there are so many more like Cosmos, Cornflowers, Snap dragons, Sunflowers, Scabiosa, Straw flowers, Bells of Ireland and Statice are just a few. I personally use these useful plants because I can achieve so much with only the price of a packet of seeds!

Cuttings or plants for free

Now and for the next couple of months take cuttings of your favourites. This is good gardening practice because not only do you get plants for free but with plants like Salvias often these will die out in the winter if planted in wet clay like soil. By taking cuttings you will have new plants to plant out next spring. Also, so many shrubs and trees are providing excellent cutting material so take those soft wood cuttings and if you want Box hedging areas in your garden or absolutely adore Lavender and want a lovely Lavender patch or edging, take cuttings now and increase your stock of these useful plants. It will save you so much money in the long run.

Seeds

As the season progresses collect seeds of some of your favourite plants. Always collect on very dry days, select a stem filled with ripe seeds on and place inside a paper bag. Hang upside down and wait a few days. Once the seeds have all fallen into the bottom of the bag, sow these immediately into seed and cutting compost with perlite added, only water from the base of the tray and leave in a warm position but sheltered. Label the seeds.

Pruning

Prune spring flowered shrubs now. Select all stems that have produced flowers, trim these to the base and the plant will then produce a selection of new shoots this year ready for flowering more next year. With Lilac cut down past the flowered part of the stem. Summer flowering plants can be pruned at the end of summer.

Drying of flowers

Remember to cut flowers just before they open all their flowers for drying. Hang upside down in an airy position in the house and tie with string. Try growing some dried flowers and harvest these at the end of summer. Xerochrysum bracteatum, Statice, Nigella seed pods, Consolida (Larkspur). Drumstick scabious, (Scabious stellata ‘Sternkugel’) and Craspedia globosa are all easy enough to grow and will reward with flowers and interest for at least three years.

Cut flowers

These have become very popular over the last few years, and I am delighted. Grow some annuals just for picking, use bulbs also and some perennials.

Construct a bed ideally where you are growing vegetables so both can be harvested at the same time. Incorporate plenty of well-rotted manure or compost. Plant out and sow the annuals. With bulbs you will have to wait until the autumn when the bulbs are available again. As gardeners we are all very different, if I suggest a particular plant that perhaps you the reader may not like, for example sunflowers maybe you prefer more dainty flowers like cornflowers and cosmos, find what you like to grow and as I like to say, “Have a go!”

Herbs

Sow parsley, chervil and dill. Take cuttings from lavender and cut the flowers for drying. Mint, if weak dig it all up and only select strong parts of the runners and replant out again in rich moist soil, preferably prevent it from spreading everywhere. Pick and dry herbs regularly or add to ice cubes so you can add these to any dish you are cooking. Rosemary, sage and thyme all dry out nicely and useful for winter use to and again saves you money.

So Happy gardening folks this summer, do a little and often in the garden and it will look good all summer long.