june-flowers

Gardeners Diary for the month of

JUNE

Flowers

Make sure that all bedding plants are kept well watered and free from slugs.
Sow hardy annuals to fill in any gaps..
Once the foliage on Daffodils has died back they can be lifted, thinned out and replanted ready for next year.
Ensure that tall herbaceous plants and Lilies are staked to prevent them from falling over and dead head any early flowering varieties like oriental poppies and aqualegias.
Check Roses and other plants for signs of Greenfly, if found spray with insecticide.
Sow seeds of Canterbury Bells, Sweet Williams, Foxgloves and other biennials in seedbeds.
Make sure that Sweet Peas are kept well watered and feed weekly with a liquid fertiliser or tomato feed. Mulch along the rows to help keep in moisture.
Trim early flowering alpines such as aubretia and arabis to keep them neat.
Sow wallflowers and other spring flowers in a seed bed.
Put out baskets and ensure that they are kept well watered.
Lift and divide Bearded Irises if needed.
Apply mulches to beds to conserve water.
Propagate garden pinks and carnations by layering or taking cuttings.
Ensure that tubs and baskets are kept well watered and feed on a weekly basis. Keep an eye out for damage to the roots by vine weevils and treat with a biological control if found.
Treat rhododendrons in the next couple of weeks with insecticide to prevent leafhoppers. These can spread the bud blast disease.
Stake tuberous begonias to stop the stems from falling over.
Divide bearded iris if they are overcrowded. This will only need doing every 3 to 4 years though.
Trim hedges and ensure that they have plenty of water. Apply a mulch if necessary.
Ensure all bedding plants are well watered. Give them a really good soaking so that the water penetrates to the roots. Once the water has soaked in water them again. If the surface is only moistened it does more harm than not watering at all. It encourages surface roots to form, which are more easily damage by drought.
Cut the seed heads from Lupins and Delphiniums. This sometimes encourages a second flush of flowers in July or August.
Prick out seedling of Aubretia and Alyssum Saxatile sown earlier, to nursery beds and allow to grow on.
Sow seeds of winter flowering Pansies in trays and place in a coldframe for use during the winter.
If not already done, sow wallflowers.
Take cuttings of evergreen shrubs such as ceanothus, photinias and clematis.
Trim back alpine flowers after they have finished flowering.
Stake Gladioli to prevent them from collapsing.
As Tulips finish flowering, lift and heel-in elsewhere or leave to dry off in boxes.
Ensure that all recent plantings are kept well watered.
Lift and divide older primrose plants.
Stake dahlias as they grow.