By Tara de la Motte, Editor of Sussex Homes & Gardens, www.sussex-homes.co.uk
Every garden should look good in June as the glory of the garden gathers pace. June is the month when all of your hard work begins to be rewarded as you see the borders over-spilling with beautiful flowers – delphiniums, irises, Oriental poppies and the wonderfully fragrant rose.
Of all the plants in the garden the rose confirms the presence of early summer with its highly perfumed flowers. There is a rose for every garden as they come in a wide range of colour, size and shape. Even the smallest garden can enjoy the beauty of a miniature rose.
Shrubs and climbers in June
June brings with it a succession of fragrant flowering shrubs, like ‘mock oranges’ lilacs and lavenders which will fill your garden with scent on a warm evening.
Climbers are a favourite in any garden as they take up little ground space and they give the garden a well-furnished look. At this time of the year there are some wonderful climbers in bloom including, clematis, honeysuckles, passion flowers and delicate solanums. Train your climbers along the top of walls and fences and they will soon smother them with their vivid blooms for most of the summer months.
Things to do in your garden this month
Mow your lawn regularly and raise the blades slightly if the weather turns dry. Lawns mown regularly and edges trimmed will make your flower borders really stand out.
Keep your rose beds weed free by using the hoe regularly. If you would like a few larger blooms on roses then remove the side buds.
Regularly dead head to prolong the flowering period of your plants.
Make sure you stake tall growing perennials like delphiniums and campanulas.
Keep fruit bushes and trees well watered and weed tree so that you are rewarded with better crops. If you are growing strawberries, protect them from birds by netting before the fruit has time to ripen.
Now is a good time to plant outdoor tomatoes but remember to stake them.
Finally, take yourself away from your own garden and visit other gardens that are open to the public during the summer months. For a small fee, often for charity, many gardens open to visitors and it’s a good opportunity to gain new ideas for your own garden or simply to discover new plants.