Gardening

Edition three - June 2006  

Traditionally the first week of June is the time for putting out the summer bedding plants, hanging baskets and tubs, but it is still possible to get a late frost, so take care.

June is the month to re-plant your garden if you`re planning to do so, but first check your soil type with a testing kit available from any garden centre.  Plan to plant about half of the borders with evergreen shrubs for year round interest. I love architectural evergreens such as Phormiums, which come in many colours and sizes, Castor Oil plants, Palms, variegated Vibernum, Bamboos, Ceanothus and my all time favourite Eucalyptus - of which I have many different types. The winter is so long and dull I think it`s a must to have lots of colour in the garden.

Take a peek in your neighbour`s garden and see what grows well if you are stuck for ideas, or have a look at the new plants for 2006 from the RHS, See here:

This month I have looked in depth at outside living and entertaining... Barbecues, garden furniture, outside lighting and patio heaters..

Jobs for the month - June

For all it`s glories June makes it`s demands on the gardener, with frequent lawn-mowing, weeding, watering and tending the vegetable garden....

Houseplants

By now you should have repotted any houseplants that needed it, and checked that they are not going to get scorched in a sunny aspect. When you go on holiday place your houseplants in a part of the house that remains cool all day if possible. There are several types of capillary matting in the garden centres that you can stand the plants on, or even soaked newspaper in a bucket. Don`t forget the house plants which can be given a breath of fresh air and a misting with tepid water..

Bulbs.

Overcrowded or deteriorating bulbs can be lifted and put in boxes to dry off and be re-planted in the autumn. Split clumps of snowdrops now.

Lawns

Mowing can become a twice weekly job at this time of year. If you didn`t give your lawn a spring "feed and weed" there is still time for a summer application of fertiliser.

Greenhouse

Make sure that any plants in the greenhouse have adequate ventilation and are shaded from too much sun. Maintain humidity to avoid red spider mite by damping down with the hosepipe.

Hedges

If you have a rose hedge this is the month to spray against black spot, mildew and aphids. Other types of hedge should be growing quickly and will need a trim. Do take care to make sure you are safe if using electric hedge cutters!

Fruit & Veg

This is the time of year to watch out for nasty little bugs in fruit bushes and trees. Identify them and if they are harmful eliminate them with an appropriate spray. Still watch out for the birds on fruit bushes and cover with netting if necessary. If you haven`t already started your runner beans in pots you can now sow them straight into the garden, two seeds per cane about 2ins. (5cm) deep.

Flowers for cutting

Continue training sweet peas up their supports. Keep cutting flowers for the house and at the same time dead-head any faded blooms to encourage new flowers.

Herbaceous plants

Continue to stake plants and feed them weekly. I use Miracle-Gro with the dispenser that attaches to the hose pipe so everything in the garden gets fed... and watch out for aphids on your plants. Keep the borders weed free and mulched.

Ponds and water features

This is still a good time to plant aquatics. New pools planted in May are now ready to stock with fish. Don`t put in too many, the aquatic department should be able to tell you how many fish your pond will comfortably take, allowing for growth.  If you are going on holiday get a neighbour to feed your fish but don`t do as we did, tell the neighbour "one handful of fish food twice-daily."  I hadn`t noticed the size of his hands and when we got back the pond was full of soggy fish food.

Wildlife

Warm June evenings bring out all those insects, and also the hedgehog who will  feast on them, so entice him out with a saucer of bread and milk. Look out for those Pipistrelle bats that fly around at dusk whose young will be born this month, and watch out for any young fledgling birds, but don`t try hand rearing any that have been abandoned, just put them gently in the safety of a bush.