The June Decorative Garden...

June - The Flower Gardener's Diary

June is the time when spring flowering bulbs need to be lifted and stored for next year. Seedlings need to be thinned out and lilac bushes need to be dead headed.

June is the time to:

Prepare:

• Hanging baskets for out of door use

Sow Outdoors:

• Perennials

Thin Out:

• Wallflowers
• Forget-me-nots
• Honesty
• Canterbury Bells

Dead Head:

• Lilac blooms
• Rhododendrons
• Azaleas

Plant:

• Hardened off half hardy plant seedling

Lift:

• Late floweing tullip bulbs that have died off
• Pyrethrums and divide towards the end of June

Things to do

- When thinning out young plants, leave at least 6 inches between plants. The seedlings that have been removed can be transplanted into a prepared bed, carefully, making sure that the root system is not damaged during the operation

- When planting out seedlings, make sure that they are watered and well looked after until they become established. Many plants will wilt due to the shock, so a little tender care is advisable

- Mulch borders, especially those that contain Michaelmas daisies and phlox

- Continue to hoe between plants

- Water regularly, either early in the morning or at dusk, especially during dry spells

- Be vigilant and look out for aphids, black spot and mildew, especially on roses. Mulch rose bushes with well-rotted compost or manure, but don't use lawn clippings alone. Remove suckers from rose bushes as low down as possible

- Mow lawns once a week, with blades set at about ½ inch (1 cm)

- If lawns are looking a bit tired, treat them to a liquid feed for a boost

- Weed kill your lawn if you have not already done so

- Water lawns in dry spells if necessary, make sure that there is not a hosepipe or sprinkler ban in force beforehand

- In the event of a hosepipe ban, do not worry about your lawn. Yes, it will suffer and turn yellow, but it will recover. Garden borders suffer the most, especially those in a south facing position. Most people wash their dishes three or four times a day, after you have finished washing up, save the water until dusk and simply pour over your garden. Do not water your garden during the day time, as evaporation will occur, and plants may be scorched if any water falls onto their leaves