It seems like only recently we were still enjoying the first signs of nature waking up after her hibernation. But spring is almost over. June in the garden is the time to welcome summer. Most plants have had a wonderful flowering period. The time for holidays and vacations is approaching.However, we must not forget to take care of the plants in our gardens and allotments.
Here are the most important gardening tasks for June and a selection of recommended tools.
- creating beds and sowing annuals, biennials and perennials. Using a garden line will make it neat and straight, giving the garden a tidy overall look; - trim spring flowering shrubs and hedges with hedge shears. In June, hedges enter a phase of rapid growth, so it is important to prune them. By stretching the string along the hedge, you can easily trim it quite evenly. Cutting is easy with electric secateurs. However, it should be kept in mind that some shrubs only need to be cut with hand shears;
- remove the flowering inflorescences of lilacs and other perennial shrubs with pruning shears;
- tie plant seedlings to supports with a plant tie;
- create horizontal ornamental elements for deciduous shrubs and vines using larger pruning shears;
- cutting off ivy shoots with aerial roots and planting them in pots or immediately in a permanent place. Do not forget to water. Otherwise they will not survive;
- remove weeds from flowerbeds and loosen the soil - there is a wide range of garden tools for this, from small hand cultivators to larger, back-friendly tillers;
- potted bulb flowers are placed in less visible areas as they are no longer attractive and should not be displayed yet. Instead, we put pots with a variety of summer flowers, which are very versatile and always look great in garden flower boxes, which can also be used on terraces, balconies thanks to the attached wheels;
- digging up spring bulbs. We are separating our subsidiary bulbs, which will bloom in about two years. A garden tool kit, for example from Tornadica, will be useful for this;
- fertilise the plants;
- shaping, forming trees with pruning shears - pruning plants after flowering;
- breaking out the inflorescences of rhododendrons that have flowered, if not done in May;
- monitor for diseases or pests;
- divide bunches of perennial flower plants (violets, primroses);
- planting potted plants in the ground;
- at this time, not only the plants we plant grow intensively, but also the weeds. So let's not forget to weed and mulch the soil under the plants. Medium-sized weeds can be easily removed with a weed extractor;
- mow the lawn, and water if necessary. Beautiful lawn edges can be created with lawn edging shears;
- plant aquatic plants if you have ornamental ponds in your garden; - harvesting and tending strawberries;
- shorten vines if necessary - this will boost productivity. It is also advisable to thin the bunches of grapes as soon as the fruit reaches the size of a pea. Use pruning shears to remove the small berries growing inside the bunch, leaving the most beautiful ones; - for fruit trees, wait for the natural autumn of June, when the tree itself drops many of its incompletely produced fruits, and then the trees can be shaped, if necessary, with pruning shears;
- mulch the shrubs with compost (and not only) to ensure moist soil and nutrient supply. Compost can easily be made in compost bins; - watering plants. If you use automatic watering systems, check that they are working properly. If you use rainwater, it is easy to store it in practical and decorative water storage containers;
- planting or sowing kohlrabi and late cauliflower varieties. A steel dibbler will make the job much easier;
- planting late summer and autumn flowering bulbs such as dahlias;
- breaking or cutting the side shoots of tomatoes;
- prune raspberry beds. Weak root shoots are cut out;
- If fruit trees were grafted in May, loosen the ties in June, remove the tops of the grafts and protect the grafts against breakage;
- Corrugated paper strips are placed on the trunks of plum and apple trees to catch fruit tree caterpillars;
- Heavy rainfall can cause soil surface compaction, which can make it difficult to grow. It is therefore worth sprinkling the soil lightly after rainfall to prevent crusting;
- on a sunny day, cut the herbs and put them to dry;
- pick peas and sugar snap peas, if ripe;
- harvest garlic planted in autumn, if ripe;
- place covers or nets over bushes with ripe berries to prevent birds from eating them.
June is a very busy month for gardeners, but it is also extremely pleasant and usually warm. But it's not just the work that counts. Despite the many things to do, we need to find time to enjoy the results of our work. The summer pot compositions we planted in May are already blooming. To make the relaxation even more enjoyable, we can place our lounge chairs in front of the fragrant plants. We can also invite friends to take a walk in our garden and beyond. Winter often leaves us no time to get together, so the start of summer is the perfect time to catch up!