Gardening – June 23

Tom Strowlger

@garden_with_tom

We are in flaming June, the month us gardeners enjoy; sunny, warm and long days in our gardens. June is officially the midpoint of the gardening calendar, so far this year we have seen the garden progress from a state of dormancy into a colourful and lush green space. The garden is beautiful at this time of year, at its most verdant, and although a gardener’s work is never really finished we should not feel guilty for spending time enjoying the garden.

We should wander amongst our plants and flowers on a daily basis, a gentle and relaxing stroll is both good for our wellbeing and for spotting any little jobs to maintain and improve the beds and borders. We may notice that floral arrangements are overcrowded, if so we can thin them out and put the flower cuttings into a vase for indoor arrangements.

The lawn grass will be growing quickly if the weather is rainy and warm and slower if the weather is hot and dry. If the grass is growing quickly and is lush green, then we can cut it once per week. During very hot and dry spells grass can become straw like so we should cut the grass less often and on the highest setting to reduce stress and the risk of disease. We should also trim the edges of our lawns to keep them looking neat and tidy.

We can encourage butterflies and bees into the garden by letting a patch of grass grow to its natural height. If we want to create our own wildlife area in the garden, whatever the size, then we can choose a space to be a wild patch. The position should ideally be at the back of the garden and with part shade, this will encourage wildlife into the area and prevent too much disturbance whilst you are enjoying the garden.

If entering the summer gardening planting party a little late then don’t worry; we can still plant out nursery grown begonia, petunia, aster, salvia, rudbeckia, zinnia, verbena, dephinium, pansy, geranium, lobelia and thunbergia. Once planted into your borders, beds, pots and tubs, the established plugs will grow bigger and give you a summer of floral colour. We must remember to regularly water our plants and flowers to get the very best displays from them.

The rose flowering season is with us and many will have had a first bloom in late spring continuing into early summer. We should deadhead the faded and spent roses by pinching and pruning to ensure the plants energy is preserved for future blooms. We need to look out for aphids amongst the new growth and ideally remove them with a soapy spray or the gentle stroke of a clean and unused soft paintbrush.

June is a great month to take a step back from the gardening jobs and admire what we have created so far, whilst also taking note of what we want to see in the garden next summertime. The sun never completely sets on our gardening jobs and projects but whilst the sun is shining we really must choose a peaceful spot for our sun lounger and get comfortable.

Please do follow me on Instagram @garden_with_tom for more seasonal gardening advice and tips.