JUNE IN THE GARDEN

Lazy days relaxing in the sun, watching the bees, the hoverflies, the butterflies and the midges – the sound of distant church bells or is this just a memory of times long gone . . . . . .

Now we sit in the sun and listen to mowers, strimmers, aircraft overhead, the sirens of passing emergency vehicles and the hubbub of modern life, or if you’re smart you plug yourself into your MP3 to get away from it all.

Somewhere along the way we seem to have lost, what was it now, peace and tranquility, well in that case, the only remedy is to create our own. So dig out the deckchairs and sun loungers, dust them down for another year, place in your favourite spot, then with a long, cool drink, close your eyes and find your own imaginary peace and tranquillity.

The above reads more like an obituary to the garden, and I apologise to our younger readers who have missed so much.

Back to business – June, a month of mowing and hoeing and weeding and feeding. If you mow at least once a week without the grass box, the mowings will act as a mulch, be taken down by the worms and eventually become food for the roots. If earlier in the year you happened to notice water laying on the lawn, fork in some sharp sand now to assist drainage. Hoeing, if at all possible, do this regularly. It not only keeps down the weeding but again acts as a mulch; remember the weeds are taking the moisture from the soil which your plants are dependant upon.

If you have time, spray the roses against black spot, this is best done in the evening. Carry on deadheading, it does pay dividends and if the early flowering herbaceous plants are cut back they will have a good chance of flowering again later. The May flowering perennials can now be divided and replanted, using space to fill in the inevitable gaps that appear. Remember to water them in thoroughly. Helianthemum, Pansies & Pinks are just a few of the plants that can be propagated this month. Cuttings should be about 2” (5cm) long with the bottom leaves removed. Insert 1”(2.5cm) in a 5” (12.5cm) pot of a sandy compost and place in a shady spot in a greenhouse, cold frame or windowsill. Don’t cram too many into the pot – six to eight maximum.

Now is a good time to wander around garden centres, making notes of anything that looks especially good – you then need to drop hints for birthday, Xmas gifts, etc. – it does work and gets you a full twelve months colour in the garden if you do it regularly enough.

I have probably mentioned this before, but if you are considering buying a Wisteria, now is the time to do so, but only if it is in flower. If it is flowering now, it will do so again next year. If it isn’t, you may well have to wait another five years or so.

Whilst wandering have a look at the Campanulas and Penstemon which seem to keep on flowering for ages. Regular readers will know these are two of my favourites along with the Helleborus Orientalis for late winter and early spring blooms. Happy relaxing - don’t work too hard now!