Garden Jottings for June

How lovely to see the hedges adorned with masses of May blossom and cow parsley and pink campion billowing below. Cherry and apple blossom have now vanished: the searing northeasterly winds and chill mornings put paid to their beauty. However, the fruit trees seem to be set for a good harvest and soft fruit is beginning to form well. As we move from Spring suddenly weeds, lawns, hedges and new seedlings go into overdrive. Luckily the longer light evenings are one of the best times to be in the garden even if you have to wait until after work to escape into nature’s lush world.

Keep hoeing borders and vegetable plots to keep down weeds. Speedwell, chickweed and goosegrass (Sticky Willy!) all need hand weeding as any root left will regrow. Bindweed will appear now. Keep it down by training it up canes and either rubbing the stems with gloves coated in weedkiller (fabric ones on top of rubber will make this easier) or slip a plastic bag over the cane and weed and spray inside with systemic weedkiller, close up the bag and place an elastic band over the top. When it has died down remove and burn or bin it along with any other brittle roots you may dig up. Weeds and grass cuttings are quite lush and will make quite a wet a mixture in the compost heap. To rectify, add shredded newspaper, cardboard or egg boxes to it.

Take dead heads from rhododendrons and lilac carefully so as not to damage next year’s buds forming under the old flower heads. Deadhead roses, taking out a length of stem down to a leaf node below the dead bloom.

House plants such as Azaleas and lemon trees can be stood outside in Summer and indeed many other plants benefit from standing outside especially in the gentle rain showers.

Don’t forget that many annuals – love in a mist (nigella), marigolds and nasturtiums will grow on quite quickly to fill in any empty spaces giving extra colour to summer borders so sow some seeds. Tie in delphiniums to stakes as they grow taller. Remove central spikes of delphiniums and lupins to encourage lower blooms on the stems to develop and bloom.

Plant out tender dahlia, fuchsia and salvia when frost is no longer a threat later in the month. Tulips can be laid out to dry and then cleaned and stored for planting in October. Daffodils and narcissus are best dug into some spare ground and left so the green tops die down into the bulbs or left in situ in troughs or pots until next year. Some feed is beneficial in either case as this nourishes the bulbs for next Spring’s flowers. You can reuse the old compost but first turn it out and remove old roots and watch out for the C-shaped white grubs of vine weevils. If they are discovered discard altogether.

Plant up pots to follow after Spring displays with geraniums. Try pink and white as well as red lobelia. Diascias, bizzy lizzies (impatiens) and small evergreen and variegated plants are easily grown from cuttings, as are ivy-leaved trailing geraniums. These together with grey-leaved white marguerite, fuchsia and black, blue salvia make a long-lasting arrangement.

Remember to add crocks to the bottom of pots over the drain holes so the compost does not become waterlogged. Small feet will lift the pot to allow drainage and air to circulate. Old clean compost can be recycled on borders or added to compost heaps.

Plant seeds of biennials: honesty, Canterbury bells, sweet Williams, foxgloves etc. Lupins and hollyhocks can also be grown to replenish stocks as they are not long-lived perennials. Hollyhocks should be checked for the presence of coral spot and sprayed. This virus will weaken the plant and disfigure the leaves. Keep a lookout for lily beetles which will decimate their foliage and damage the buds. Pick them off and destroy them but be careful as they fall upside down and have a black underneath which makes them hard to spot. These red beetles make what appears as black excreta but this is where larva grubs hatch out into more beetles. Remove this.

Keep cutting sweet peas and remove old seed pods to stimulate more flowers and give a feed fortnightly.

Stake tomatoes and tie into stout canes and remove side shoots; feed weekly and water regularly to prevent blossom end rot and split skins. If you don’t have a very large vegetable plot tried to utilise as much of the area as possible by intercropping – planting small plants amongst crops which will soon be harvested like new potatoes and will then grow on in to fill the vacated space, e.g. cauliflowers and sprouts. Other quick growing salads such as radish and lettuce can be grown beside long stay vegetables so remember to allow for this when planning and planting out.

Leeks should be planted out now. Plant courgettes, French and runner beans after lifting potatoes and removing spinach if it is running to seed. Dig new potatoes but make sure they are ready by lifting a few to see if they are large enough. To discourage blackfly on broad beans nip out the tips of the plants or remove them if they are already present, this will send food down to form beans and swell pods rather than making them grow taller.

Place straw or fibre mats around strawberry plants to prevent mud splashes. Runners can be taken as they lengthen, pin them to the ground or a small pot to root. They can be cut free and potted on to make new plants for next year. Usually plants should be replaced every three to four years.

Pick early soft fruits and gooseberries as they ripen. Lower the height of the mower blades although it is still better to mow twice a week than mow too short so as not to stress the lawn if the weather is hot and dry. This is a good time to give a nitrogen feed if the lawn seems at all pale and sparse. Keep edges neat and tidy, pick up grass clippings and tidy the edges of the border. At the same time enjoy the sights and scents in the evening – lilac, wallflower and bluebells – admittedly in early May as I write as it brings memories of people who also love these sights and places we remember with joy.

Christine Brown,

President, Ash Horticultural Society