Gardening Jobs for June

By June, the warmer weather has arrived and this, along with extra sunlight hours, means that there are lots of jobs to be getting on with in the garden this month:

• check plants daily during warm spells, particularly plants that are establishing, and water when necessary
• keep on top of weeds by regularly hoeing your borders
• remember to open the doors and vents of your greenhouse and prevent scorch by adding shade with blinds, shade netting or shade paint
• harden off hanging baskets and containers and move outside into their final positions
• when foliage begins to yellow, lift and divide clumps of snowdrops and bluebells
• allow bulb foliage to die naturally before cutting back, this will enable energy to go back into the bulb, ensuring a good display next year
• lift and divide overcrowded clumps of spring bulbs
• stake tall perennial plants
• prune overcrowded and dead stems of evergreen clematis
• continue to earth up potatoes as they grow through the soil
• pinch out the side shoots of tomatoes
• regularly sow salad crops to ensure a successional supply through the summer
• watch out for the yellowing and dying back of garlic plants, a sure sign that they are ready to harvest
• harden off tender vegetables such as squashes and courgettes before planting outside
• thin out fruit on congested branches of fruit trees to ensure larger, better fruit
• feed container fruits with a high potash liquid feed
• ensure that you water acid-loving container plants with rainwater as using tap water will, over time, reduce the acidity of ericaceous compost
• prune spring flowering shrubs
• regularly check your plants for pests and diseases: check the undersides of leaves for aphids and if you spot them, rub them off by hand, treat with a spray or introduce lacewing larvae as a biological control
• watch out for the scarlet lily beetle on your lilies and look for their sticky brown larvae on the undersides of leaves

(Written by Jo Chamerlain)