It’s early summer and here’s the reward for all your planning. The garden is bursting into life with colourful flowers. JUNE-collage              

Evening-biennials-Collage10 Things to do in your Garden in June
Sowing

  • Sow a batch of Hardy Annuals and Half Hardy Annuals for a late summer and autumn display. I’m planting more Sweet Peas, Cosmos and Zinnias because I know my first lot will run out of steam after flowering their socks off for 3 months or so. Plants started off in June will flower from August right up until the first frosts which arrived here in November last year.
  • Sow Biennials for next year. A little bit of planning now will save you lots of time and money next spring. Plants like Foxgloves, Forget-me-Not, Honesty, Wallflowers and Sweet Rocket will grow this year and flower in spring next year.
  • Sow salad in modules or seed trays. Place lettuce and salad leaves in a cool part of the garden as lettuce won’t germinate well in hot places.
  • Sow cabbages and leeks under cover. In the greenhouse vegetables can be started off in plastic modules so you have plants to replace your early crops such as peas and beans later on. Sow marrows, courgettes, pumpkins and squashes outside.

Last-Week-of-June-CollageGrowing

  • Weed on dry sunny days. There’s no need for weed killer and besides it’s harmful chemicals that affect our garden wildlife.
    It’s really easy to use a hoe to remove annual weeds before they set seed. Leave the weeds on the surface until they wither in the sun. Dig perennial weeds out by hand… it’s much easier when the earth is moist. They often have a long tap root which must be removed or they will regrow.
  • Prune mature early flowering deciduous shrubs. Remove one in three old stems to encourage the plants to produce fresh new shoots.
  • Plant out young vegetables. Peas, tomatoes, beans and other vegetables that you have raised under cover can be planted outside now. There is no danger of frost but make sure you remove marauding slugs and snails each evening.

    Containers

  • Plant  up pots, baskets and containers. If you are lucky enough to have a few nice pots then this is a good time to plant traditional summer bedding, half hardy annuals and tender perennials. You can also grow herbs, fruit such as strawberries and even roses in pots for a stunning summer display. If you’d rather not buy new plants you could do what I do and pot up some of your existing plants. Widely grown plants such as herbs, Hostas and Alchemilla mollis look lovely in containers.

Wildlife

  • Remove excessive weed from your garden pond. Pond weed grows rapidly in sunlight so remove the excess with a net and leave it by the waters edge for a day or two. This allows small creatures to return to the water.
  • Garden birds are still nesting. You may be lucky and see the chicks fledging. June is traditionally the month for pruning evergreen hedges and topiary but if you have nesting birds just trim lightly by hand if absolutely necessary but otherwise steer clear.

 

June-Iris&Poppy-CollageUK Weather in June:

In June the weather is usually settled and warm with dry sunny days and temperatures around 20 – 22°C in many places. In 2015 and 2016 the first few days of June did not follow the usual pattern and most parts of the UK had some heavy showers. 2018 was settled and VERY warm and we have already had some fantastic hot days this June.

Sunshine: There’s usually plenty of sunshine in June, in all areas. UK daytime temperatures average 17  ̊ C falling to around 9  ̊ C at night. On average the South East receives about 220 hours of sunshine each June and the Scottish Highlands about 160 hours.
Last year June was fantastic with plenty of sunshine. Occasionally areas of low pressure become fixed over the country… this happened in 2012 when we experienced unsettled weather for weeks with rain, cloudy sky and low daytime temperatures.

Cloud and Rain: The western side of the UK can expect more cloud than elsewhere because the prevailing weather fronts blow in from the Atlantic Ocean in the west. June is usually a dry month particularly in the South East. However low pressure can bring rain and in 2012 we had the wettest June since records began in 1766. Remember the Jubilee Celebrations?

Wind: Usually June is calm with the exception of western coastal areas where the prevailing onshore winds may be strong, particularly high above sea level.

Frost & Snow: Luckily there is little chance of frost or snow anywhere in the UK! But you never really know… in June 2016 there were thunderstorms across the UK and hail storms in Oxfordshire.

Review

Whatever the weather, June is a lovely month. It’s the first month of summer and finally it’s time for your summer plants to begin to flower ready for their summer display. I wish you a very happy month. Gillian 🙂