The Flower Garden in June | Gardening Tips

May into June is such an exciting time in the flower garden. Garden flowers lift the spirit and early flowering perennials seem not to be there one day and ready to flower the next. There is so much to do and so much to look forward to in the June flower garden. Remember to take into account your local climatic conditions reading these gardening hints and tips for the month of June.

Spring Flowering Plants and Bulbs

If you have not already done so cut back dead bulb but do wait until the foliage dies down naturally as cutting back too early can lead to no flowers next spring.

Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of bulbs after they have finished flowering, overcrowded bulbs may stop flowering.

Cut back clumps of spring and early flowering perennials. Hellebores and Pulmonaria produce new and attractive foliage and stay more compact.

Cut back the flowered stems of Euphorbias back to ground level leaving the more attractive foliage. Take care not to get the milky sap on your skin as this can result in blisters.

Summer Bedding Plants

A great way to produce a good show of bedding is to sow hardy annuals directly into the ground. There is the possibility of your garden landscape scheme not turning out as you have dreamt as there is always the danger that one of your sown varieties fails. It is a good idea to have back ups sown in trays whether that be hardy or half hardy annuals.

The hardy annuals sown outdoors should now be thinned out. Do this if practical in two or three stages at fortnightly intervals. Final spacings should be between 4-8in (10-20cm) using the higher figure for tall or spreading plants and the lower figure for smaller plants.

If you have not sown under cover and the weather has not been perfect for early sowings it is not too late to direct sow for the garden seeds of a few fast growing, late-flowering hardy annuals such as Clarkia, Calendula (pot marigolds) and Godetia. I did this in my first ever garden and was very pleased with the result.

Use annual bedding to fill gaps in herbaceous borders.

Plant out dahlias and cannas and if there is no longer a danger of frost.

If you have not already done so it is time to plant out your summer bedding and seed-raised plants. Always make sure they are well watered in, keep moist during dry weather and try to water an area wider than just where you have planted your young, succulent and delicious to eat youngsters. It can help to put slugs and snails off the scent where just damping the area where your plants have just gone in gives them excellent conditions to slide in and munch.

Containers, window boxes, garden pots and tubs can be planted up with summer bedding. They may sulk but if well watered in and covered with horticultural fleece on a cold night and they will soon establish and race away.

Think About Plants for Next Year

Yes, it may seem crazy to start thinking about plants for next year when this season is really only just bursting forth but now is a good time to sow seed of spring bedding such as the biennial wallflowers and pansies. Anytime between May and July is a good time to sow.

Polyanthus are very rewarding plants to grow from seed. Once you have them established and bulked up they can be split and transplanted. They are best sown when temperatures are warm and need a constant temperature of around 15°C (60°F). A sheltered cold frame in June or July usually provides the right environment for their germination and growth. However I have to admit that having thought a sowing had failed I just stuck the seed tray outside in the worst conditions imaginable and the next time I remembered to look at the tray they had all germinated!

Winter Bedding Plants

Winter bedding plants such as winter pansies can be sown from May until July. With me these tend to be "early spring flowerers" rather than looking good all winter.

Sweet Peas

Train your sweet peas up wigwams made from canes or up netting.

They will need a bit of help until they get a good hold themselves, that is unless you are growing them as cordons in which case remove the tendrils and tie in with soft string.

Deadheading

Deadheading flowering perennials such as Lupins and Delphinium helps to promote a second flush of flowers later in the season.

It may seem a drastic and barbaric thing to do but cutting back Oriental Poppies after flowering right back to ground level will stimulate growth of fresh new foliage and maybe even some new blooms. Certainly they will look much neater in your mixed border and their re-growth can be aided by mulching and feeding.

From now on keep a close eye on annuals, perennials, roses and especially sweet peas and deadhead religiously to keep flowering going.

New Plants from Old

If you are like me, you like plants for free, and why not!

Now is a good time to look out for good cuttings material.

Perennials that are showing new shoots from the crown can be propagated by taking basal stem cuttings. These are shoots that are 8-10cm (3-4in) high and cut from the parent plant with a sharp clean knife (we are trying to increase our stock and not spread disease).

Sometimes a piece of root can be taken with the cutting and this speeds up establishment but stems can be cut without root. Personally these days I do not use hormone rooting powder but use if this is your own preferred method.

Cuttings from garden pinks can be pulled off the parent plant by pulling with thumb and forefinger while holding a suitable non-flowering shoot four pairs of leaves from the tip. Usually they give way with a popping sound and can be placed around the rim of a pot filled with free draining compost.

Divide hostas as they come into growth. If they are big clumps and difficult to divide do not be afraid to put your spade through the middle.

General Flower Garden Maintenance in June

Stake tall perennials to prevent wind damage to flower spikes and put supports in early in the plants growth so that the supports become hidden and the plants do not look "trussed up".

Keep tubs, hanging baskets, window boxes and other containers well watered. Sun and warm winds dry out containers very quickly.

Liquid feed containerised plants every two to four weeks with a seaweed based food or weak tomato feed for flowering plants.

Pot on rootbound plants. If you have a containerised plant that looks a bit unhealthy, tip out the rootball to check if it is rootbound. If it is not, check carefully for signs of the dreaded and dreadful vine weevil, creamy, orange-headed maggots that tend to curl up into a ‘C’ shape. There are various chemical and biological controls available. If your plant still looks to have some life and the rootball is only small, thoroughly wash all the compost away, repot into clean compost and cut the top growth back to help the plant re-establish. This is a method I have used that has worked for me.

I plant so that no bare soil shows and annual weeds struggle but if you plant with soil exposed, hoe borders to prevent annual and perennial weeds from spreading and seeding themselves. Choose a time when the soil is dry and rain is not imminent.

If you grow lilies inspect them daily for signs of the scarlet lily beetle, the larvae can strip plants in no time and make a real mess of your potentially beautiful flowers.

Slugs and snails think they are in heaven this time of the year. Take whatever preventative measures are your preference.

If you have a good balance in your garden aphids may not be a great problem with the likes of blue tits feeding young and ladybirds active. Try not to spray, for blackfly try just blasting them off with a hose.

Start to give liquid feed or push in pellets to containers of plants.

Encourage strong growth plus a good flower display of roses by sprinkling rose fertiliser around roots. Hoe being careful not to harm the roots and if no rain falls during the next week water in.

Not found what you are looking for?

Custom Search