June in the Garden
Watering
Water wisely and don’t worry about watering grass. Grass is very good at dealing with a lack of water; even if it turns brown it will be able to bounce back when the rains return later in the year. Water plants in the morning and evening only. For pots, it’s best to water first thing in the morning or last thing at night to avoid damaging plants. When the sun shines on water it can act like a magnifying glass, burning the leaves below.
Garden in the summer can be hard work so follow these tips:
- Hoe regularly to control weeds. You can keep on top of them by shallow hoeing regularly in dry conditions to kill most weed seedlings. For maximum effectiveness, choose a dry day with a light wind, so seedlings dry out on the surface of the soil rather than re-rooting into moist soil. Just a little bit of hoeing will help keep things under control.
- Mow lawns at least once a week. June is the time to mow once a week, ideally letting cuttings fall back into the sward to feed the lawn. This also avoids the chore of collecting and composting cuttings. It is also the first time of the year to cut long grass with bulbs in. Instead of watering lawns in dry weather, mow less closely and less frequently. Don’t worry if there are any dead patches as they will recover in autumn.
Plant your tubs and baskets for summer colour
First of all pick what plants you want. Bedding plants the best plants to use, they are usually colourful half-hardy, annual plants, grown for displays in beds or containers each season. They may be changed seasonally, with spring, summer and winter bedding displays each using different plants depending on flowering times. Choose a colour theme and get your baskets and tubs ready.
Stand your basket on a wide, short pot to keep it stable. If the basket isn’t already lined, lay moss or a liner inside the frame. Tubs just need some gravels or broken pots placed in the bottom over the drainage holes to avoid flooding the compost.
Cut holes into the hanging bakset or trough liner at varying heights, at least 10cm up from the base. The spaces between the frame of your basket will determine the size of plants you can use. Planting through the sides is not essential, but by doing so, the sides will be covered and the basket will look fuller quicker. Fill to the level of the cut holes, wrap newspaper around the root balls of your plants and push them through the holes into the basket.
Add extra compost to cover the roots and gently firm it down. Add more compost and plant short or trailing plants around the edge and taller plants in the centre. Fill in around them with compost so the final compost level is just slightly below the rim of the basket. Follow the top planting instruction for planted containers. Its always good to use a spot plant or centre piece to give a little extra height. Small shrubs, Conifers and grasses make good centre pieces.
Water slowly but thoroughly before hanging your baskets, water in situ for tubs and containers, using a watering can with a fine rose to prevent the soil being disturbed. Check the compost regularly – hanging baskets may need extra watering daily during hot summer weather. If the basket is too heavy to lift up and down easily, water using a hose on a fine spray setting.
Depending on the type of plants you choose, your basket may benefit from occasional feeding to boost flowering and encourage healthy growth. Summer annuals that you expect a lot of flowers from will benefit from a couple of high potassium liquid feeds during the season. Plants chosen to stay in the basket for more than a year will benefit from a sprinkling of general purpose granular fertiliser in spring. Regular dead heading and snipping off old flower heads, will prolong flowering of many summer flowering plants.
Summer pruning
Summer pruning of deciduous shrubs that flower in late winter, spring and early summer need annual pruning to encourage strong, healthy shoots and improve flowering. Annual pruning also prolongs the life of these early-flowering shrubs. They usually flower on the previous year’s growth. Pruning immediately after flowering allows the maximum time for development of young growth to provide the following year’s flowers before the end of summer.
Pruning requirements depend on the type of shrub, but all early-flowering shrubs need routine removal of damaged, diseased or dead wood, as follows: Cut out any damaged or dead shoots. Where there are many stems remove some to ground level to keep the bush open and avoid congestion
Finally take out any weak, spindly or twiggy shoots right to the point of origin or to ground level so the plant concentrates its resources on strong new shoots that will bear the best flowers.
Other jobs to think about in the summer months
Finally I just want to remind people that in the summer months it’s important to remember that dogs can die in hot cars.
Many people think it’s ok to leave their dog in the car if they’re parked in the shade or the windows are open. But a car can become as hot as an oven, even when the weather doesn’t feel that warm. When it’s 22 degrees Celsius outside, the car could reach an unbearable 47 degrees within an hour. It’s very dangerous and will cause your dog suffering and harm.
Follow this link https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/health/dogsinhotcars to learn what do should you see a dog in a car on a warm or hot day.