Flaming June is a delight in the garden, what with roses blooming, borders bursting with colour and the first new crops to harvest. Here are the jobs to be getting on with this month:
General tasks:
- Target weeds, regularly hoeing bare soil on dry days and forking out perennials like ground elder as soon as you see them.
- Check moisture levels, digging down with a trowel to find out how damp the soil really is underneath – then water where necessary.
Ornamental gardens
- Take care of hanging baskets dead-heading regularly and adding a liquid feed to the watering can once a week.
- Tie in new growth of climbers like roses and clematis while it’s still young and pliable.
- Dig up tulip bulbs to dry and store until you can plant them again in autumn.
Kitchen garden:
- Sow squash in pots of compost and place on a warm sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse, then plant out in a sunny spot.
- Sow oriental salads such as pak choi, mizuna and Chinese cabbage as they’re less likely to bolt in mid to late summer.
- Thin apples so your trees aren’t exhausted by trying to bear too heavy a crop, removing the smallest from each cluster.
