What to do in the garden in June

There's always something to be doing in the garden, whether it's pruning, tidying or sowing, so we've put together our top gardening tasks for June.

 In the flower garden

• • Plant out annual summer bedding plants now the risk of frost has passed.
• • Plant up containers, hanging baskets and planters now the the risk of frost has passed. If you have them growing on in a greenhouse move them outside to their final position.
• • Continue to thin out drifts of hardy annuals if they're overcrowded.
• • Lift and divide clumps of snowdrops and bluebells once the leaves start to yellow.
• • Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of bulbs.
• • Keep newly planted trees and shrubs well watered whilst they establish.
• • It's not too late to sow seeds of annual plants - for a full list of annuals that you can still sow now see our what to sow and grow page.
• • Now there is space on windowsills again, think about sowing biennials for next year.
• • Pinch out the tips of your Fuchsias to encourage a bushy habit and more flowers.
• • If any of your hanging basket plants have become leggy or misshapen, simply trim the excess off - this will encourage bushy growth.
• • As soon as your sweet peas start to flower, keep picking them to encourage more blooms.
• • Dead-head your roses if they are repeat-flowering types. Otherwise leave the seed heads on for decoration.
• • Dead-head and cut back oriental poppies after flowering. Cutting them close to ground level will stimulate new foliage.
• • Towards the end of June, if your hardy Geraniums have finished flowering cut them back to encourage new foliage and flowers.
• • Cut back bulb foliage as soon as it has died down naturally.
• • Stake tall or floppy perennial plants to prevent wind damage.
• • As new shoots grow, tie in and train climbing plants such as honeysuckle and clematis to their supports. Use Soft-Tie Wrap for a secure tie.
• • Prune out overcrowded or dead stems of evergreen Clematis such as Clematis armandii after it has finished flowering to maintain a good shape.
• • Harvest flower heads from your lavender plants to use in baking or as a garnish to your meals!

 In the vegetable garden

• • Pinch out any side shoots from your tomato plants and feed once the first truss is setting fruit. You can pot up the side-shoots to create new tomato plants.
• • Continue to earth up potato plants as they grow. If you're growing potatoes in bags simply add more compost to half way up the plant stem.
• • Harvest salad crops and resow every 2 weeks for a constant supply of tasty leaves.
• • Harvest early potatoes - these are normally ready from 10 weeks after planting.
• • Look out for onion and garlic leaves yellowing and dying back - this means they are ready to harvest!
• • Plant out tender vegetables such as courgettes, squash, tomatoes and sweet corn now the risk of frost has passed.
• • When planting out cabbages, use cabbage collars to prevent cabbage root fly attack.
• • There is still time to plant runner beans - sow them directly in the ground now.
• • Protect crops from carrot fly by covering with horticultural fleece or enviromesh.

 In the fruit garden

• • Start to prune your plum or cherry trees now.
• • Although fruit trees will naturally shed some fruit (called the 'June drop'), aim to thin out congested branches further for bigger and better fruits.
• • Protect any developing fruits from birds and squirrels by placing netting around your plants.
• • If you have plants fruiting in containers, make sure you give them a high potash liquid feed to keep plants healthy and productive.
• • Top-dress patio dwarf fruit trees with fresh compost and a slow-release fertiliser.
• • Peg down runners on your strawberry plants to create more plants for next year. If you don't need more plants simply remove the strawberry runners completely.

 In the greenhouse

• • Continue to harden off half-hardy bedding plants to acclimatise them to outdoor conditions.
• • Open vents and doors on warm days.
• • Check plants daily and water them if the soil is dry.
• • Use blinds or apply shade paint to prevent the greenhouse from over-heating in sunny weather.
• • Damp down your greenhouse on hot days to increase humidity and deter red spider mites.

 Looking after your lawn

• • If you are experiencing prolonged dry weather, set your mower blades higher to reduce stress on the grass.
• • Water your lawn during hot weather, particularly newly seeded or turfed lawns. Do not allow new lawns to dry out.
• • Warm weather encourages rapid weed growth - apply specific lawn weed killer to tackle this problem.
• • Feed your lawn with a special lawn fertiliser to encourage healthy green growth.
• • Recut any lawn edges if needed. Try installing lawn edging to make future maintenance easier.

 From your armchair

• • There's still time to order flower plants and vegetable plants online if you didn't get round to sowing seed in time this year.
• • Beat the drought and order some ground cover plants for years of easy-maintenance colour.

 Other jobs about the garden

• • Water your containers and baskets well in hot weather. Start to feed them with a balanced liquid fertiliser every 2 to 4 weeks.
• • To conserve water, water the soil rather than the plants and make ‘ponds’ around individual plants so that the water can really soak in, ideally wetting the soil quite deeply, say to 25cm (10in). Thorough watering like this supports plants for 14 days, but merely wetting the surface wastes water, encourages weeds and can lead to surface rooting making the plants more vulnerable.
• • Use water butts as much as you can to water your plants.
• • Keep removing blanketweed from your pond to allow the plants and fish room to breathe. Try using Pond Wizard to clear your pond effectively.
• • Keep an eye out for white powdery mildew on plants. If possible, remove the affected parts and spray with a fungicide to prevent further spread.
• • Look for aphids on the underside of leaves - rub them off by hand or spray with an insecticide to prevent them multiplying. Alternatively try using a natural pest control such as Lacewing larvae
• • Keep an eye out for scarlet lily beetles on your lilies - remove and crush any you see. Also check for the sticky brown larvae on the underside of leaves.
• • Check for vine weevils by tipping your plants out of their pots and looking for 'C' shaped creamy maggots amongst the roots. Treat with nematodes if vine weevils are spotted.
• • Prevent slugs attacking your young plants by using nemaslug
• • Clip evergreen hedges such as Privet, Box and Yew whilst they are in active growth.
• • Turn the compost in your compost bins every month to keep it well aerated.
• • Keep bird baths topped up in hot weather.

What to do in the garden archive

• Back to 'In the Garden this Month'
• What to do in the garden in July
• What to do in the garden in August
• What to do in the garden in September
• What to do in the garden in October
• What to do in the garden in November
• What to do in the garden in December
• What to do in the garden in January
• What to do in the garden in February
• What to do in the garden in March
• What to do in the garden in April
• What to do in the garden in May
• What to do in the garden in June