June is full of long days and light evenings, time to enjoy the flowers in the garden and do your best to keep them flowering as long as possible, whilst stopping the weeds from romping away. A little bit of hoeing every dry day is a very effective way to manage the weeds. Don’t forgot to water anything newly planted too if the temperature goes up above 20 degrees, and also keep an eye on any pots.

Deadheading and cutting back early flowered perennials

Keep deadheading your bedding plants regularly to prolong flowering, and do the same with both sweetpeas and roses. You can also feed them weekly with a liquid feed when you water. Tomato food or another feed high in potassium is best to encourage flowers.

Early flowered perennials, like Pulmonaria and Oriental poppies (Papaver orientalis), can be cut back after they have finished flowering. The leaves tend to get mildewed but you can cut these right back too, feed the plant, and it will give you fresh leaves for the rest of the summer. 

Delphiniums can be cut right back after flowering and fed: they should reward you with another flush of flowers in late Summer.

Spring pruning

Deciduous shrubs like Weigela, Philadelphus, Ribes and Forsythia that flower early, are best pruned after flowering. You can trim back the flowered shoots, and if the plant has got congested, you can cut a third of the older stems to the ground as well.

Spring bulbs

Any congested clumps of spring flowering bulbs can be lifted and divided now, as can clumps of primulas or primroses. When you replant use some fresh compost and make sure they are kept well watered.

Tulips are lifted once the foliage has died back. For strong disease free flowers next year you can store them in a dry, cool place, take off any small side bulbils and replant in the garden after the first frost in November

Watering

Give the roots of your plants a good soak with a hose or watering can, rather than a sprinkle over the top. This allows them to develop good deeper roots, rather than superficial ones.

Avoid watering during the day in sunny weather because this can scorch the leaves. Water either early morning or evening, but early morning is best and will also deter slugs who prefer damp conditions to come out and feed at night