June Gardening Jobs

June is a month when all your hard work in the garden feels worthwhile. When the sun is shining, flowers are in bloom and you can see your carefully nurtured plants growing in front of your eyes, there truly is no better place to be. Relax, soak in some sun and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

June is one of the most rewarding months in the garden. Borders are bursting with colour, you can pick fresh vegetables and fruit, and the garden feels full of life from dawn until dusk. With longer days and warmer temperatures, there’s plenty of opportunity to enjoy being outdoors while giving your garden the care it needs to thrive through summer. Here are your checklist of jobs to do in the garden in June.

 

Flowers, shrubs & trees

 

 

What to plant in June

• Plant out any remaining tender plants and seedlings this month, such as dahlias, cannas, begonias, zinnias and cosmos.

• If you find some forgotten dahlia tubers, plant them at the start of this month. They'll grow quickly and should flower at the end of summer. If you missed out on buying tubers earlier this year, you can buy compact dahlia plants now that are perfect for pots or borders. Two of my favourites are Dahlia 'Dalina Maxi Apricot', which has stunning large orange pompon flowers, and Dahlia 'Dalina Maxi Pink Starburst', which is a striking pink anemone dahlia.

• Plant out summer bedding plants if you didn't get this done last month.

• Sow biennial flower seeds in a seed tray or modules. Foxgloves, honesty, sweet William, wallflowers (erysimum) and Icelandic poppies are all plants you can grow from seed this year to flower next summer.

• You can still sow fast-growing annuals like calendula and nasturtiums this month.

• Sow violas, winter pansies and ornamental brassicas now to get a good supply of winter bedding plants and flowers.

Propagating and dividing

• You can still take softwood cuttings from new, non-flowering shoots on perennials and shrubs. Lavender, rosemary and sage plants all get woody as they get older, and they're easy to propagate at this time of year. If you have a large number of plants, plan ahead and replace several plants each year to avoid large gaps.

• Divide and replant clumps of bluebells before the leaves fully die back.

Pruning and cutting back

• Once established pulmonaria and brunnera plants have finished flowering, you can cut them back to near the base to encourage the plants to produce fresh new foliage.

• Deadhead Oriental poppies by cutting stems at the base after flowering.

• Deadhead repeat-flowering roses, cutting back the flower stem to just above a leaf that has five or more leaflets.

• Pinch out the growing tips of chrysanthemums, fuchsias and sunflowers to get bushier plants.

• Cut sweet pea flowers once they bloom to encourage plants to produce more flowers.

• Prune late spring and early summer flowering shrubs, such as Philadelphus and Weigela once they've finished flowering. Cut one in five stems back to the base and trim flowered stems to a strong bud.

General maintenance

• Lift tulip bulbs once the leaves have died back. Let them dry, trim off the dead stems and roots, and store them in paper bags over the summer. Tulips don't always flower in their second year, but if you have space, it's worth planting them out in the garden as you might get a nice surprise!

• Water pots, hanging baskets and newly planted shrubs and perennials regularly, especially during dry spells.

• Feed plants in containers weekly with seaweed feed or a high-potash fertiliser like tomato feed for flowering plants.

• Continue tying in climbing plants as they grow, training stems horizontally to maximise flowering.

• Check roses for blackspot, aphids, and mildew.

• Scarlet lily beetles can cause significant damage to lilies, so it's worth checking plants regularly for larvae and removing any you find.

• Take measures to dissuade slugs and snails from vulnerable plants, like hostas and delphiniums.

• Mulch plants in pots to prevent water loss.

 

Fruit and vegetables

You can enjoy the first big harvests of the year this month as early sowings mature. Tender plants such as courgettes and cucumbers can be planted outside, but don't forget to protect young seedlings from slugs and other pests. It can be tempting to sit back and relax once you see crops coming up, but succession sowing ensures your harvest lasts months, not weeks.

What veg to plant in June

• If you haven't already planted out tender seedlings, now is the time to do it. Tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, beans, sweetcorn and melons can all be transplanted into their final beds or pots. Don't forget to put in supports for climbing beans and cucumbers when you plant them.

• If you haven't started plants indoors, you can sow courgette, French bean, runner bean and pea seeds directly outside at the start of the month.

• Keep sowing leafy crops, such as salad leaves and pak choi, spring onions, radishes, carrots and beetroot every few weeks to ensure a continuous harvest. 

• Sow swedes outdoors for a winter harvest (they take about six months to mature) and faster-growing turnips to pull up in autumn.

• June is your final month to plant winter cabbage and cauliflower seeds. Sow them in modules and transplant seedlings out later in the summer.

• Transplant leek seedlings to their final positions when they're about 20 cm tall.

Harvesting

• Peas are one of the earliest new crops of the year, and depending on which variety you're growing, you may get a good harvest this month. Broad beans will also be ready towards the end of the month, and if you have a surplus of either beans or peas, they're easy to freeze.

• Strawberries will be ready to harvest this month. All the berries we grow get eaten straight away, but if you have a glut, use the excess to make jam. Alternatively, blitz them up into a coulis with some sugar, mix with whipped cream and freeze for a tasty ice cream.

• Early-fruiting varieties of raspberries will also be ready to eat this month.

• You may be able to harvest your first courgettes towards the end of the month. Pick them when they're young to encourage the plant to produce more.

• First early potatoes should be ready to harvest this month. Home-grown new potatoes are delicious, but they don't store well, so harvest them just before you're going to eat them.

• If you planted lettuce, spinach, radishes and spring onions in the spring, you should have a tasty salad ready to harvest from your garden this month, though you'll need to wait until next month for cucumbers and tomatoes.

• Pick the last of your asparagus this month, then leave the shoots to grow into ferny stems.

• You may be able to harvest onions and garlic towards the end of the month. Wait until the stalks and leaves turn yellow and begin to dry out.

• June is the last month to get a good harvest of rhubarb. It's best to limit harvesting from July onwards to let the plant recover before winter.

Fruit bushes and trees

• Net strawberries, currants, cherries, and blueberries early to prevent birds from feasting on your fruit.

• Remove runners from strawberries to direct the plant's energy into growing fruit. If you want to propagate strawberries, this is best done later in the summer after the plants have finished fruiting.

• Sawfly can strip gooseberry bushes of their leaves. Check bushes for sawfly larvae and remove any you spot. You can also use water nematodes into the soil around affected plants.

• Tie in raspberry canes as they grow.

• Thinning fruits on apple and pear trees can help you get a better crop of larger, healthier fruit. Wait until after the "June drop", when trees naturally shed some of their weaker fruit.

• Check apple trees for woolly aphids. The white, waxy secretions are more visible than the aphids themselves. Blast the aphids with a jet of water as a temporary control measure.

General maintenance 

• Feed hungry crops like tomatoes, courgettes and cucumbers weekly once flowers appear. Strawberries grown in containers also need feeding with a high-potassium fertiliser.

• Spread straw or cardboard under your strawberries to help prevent the fruit from rotting.

• Pinch out side shoots on cordon tomatoes.

• Pinch out the growing shoot on broad bean plants once the first pods form to help deter blackfly.

• Water fruit trees and bushes deeply during dry spells.

• Mulch around thirsty crops to retain moisture.

• Net brassicas as soon as you plant seedlings to protect them from cabbage white butterflies.

 

Lawns and hedges

Lawns and hedges grow quickly in June thanks to warm temperatures and longer daylight hours. Mowing new and established lawns regularly helps encourage strong growth, but keep the blades high for new lawns and if the weather is dry.

• Mow lawns weekly or fortnightly. Raise the cutting height and mow less frequently during dry weather. 

• Water newly laid turf and grass seed every week or so, unless the weather is wet. Established lawns shouldn't need watering.

• Edge lawns to create crisp borders.

• Avoid leaving paddling pools, garden toys and furniture in one place on the lawn. Moving things around allows the grass to recover, preventing it from turning yellow.

• If you have unused areas of lawn, consider leaving some parts unmown for wildlife and pollinators.

• You can start mowing newly laid turf once it's well rooted. This is likely to be around three weeks after it was laid, but give it a tug to check before mowing – if it doesn't lift easily, it's ready. Mow with the blades on the highest setting.

• If you planted a new lawn using grass seed, wait until the seedlings are 6–7 cm tall before mowing.

• Trim topiary and formal box and privet hedges. Make sure you check for nesting birds before pruning larger hedges.

 

Other garden jobs for June

June is also a good month to tackle general maintenance and outdoor improvement projects while conditions are dry and pleasant.

• Make sure your greenhouse has sufficient shade and ventilation to prevent plants from getting scorched or overheating.

• Keep weeding paths, patios and lawn edges.

• Turn your compost heap to speed up decomposition. If the compost is looking dry, you may need to add some water.

• Top up wildlife ponds during hot weather. Use rainwater rather than tap water if possible, as the nutrients in tap water can feed weeds, causing the pond to become overgrown. If you don't have rainwater then it's better to use tap water rather than let the pond dry out. 

• Continue removing weeds and algae from ponds.

• Top up bird baths during dry weather.

• If your garden is a sun trap, consider creating a shaded area for delicate plants in pots to prevent them drying out or getting scorched by the sun.

• Tick off any painting or repair jobs that have been on your list, so you enjoy the results of your efforts for the rest of the summer.