Garden Tips for JUNE

Get into the garden & warm up…

It may be cold, but this is the time to ponder and be creative in thought, as to, what your plans will be for your garden in Spring…..And on those not so dreary days, get into the garden and warm up with some physical work outside. 

Great time of the year to read, check out the book ‘Grow Your Own Drugs’ by James Wong and have a pharmacy in your backyard.  Also check out our new EXTRA LARGE shade house with loads of Rhododendrons, Camellias, Azaleas and Daphne.

Edible Garden

• Perfect time for planting garlic ready for the summer BBQ season – To make sure you get the variety you are after…. order your potatoes NOW ready for planting in August
• Have you thought of a raised vege garden?  Planter boxes are not too difficult to erect.  Or for a cheap alternative, use a half wine barrel (don’t forget to drill holes for water to drain away)
• Plant your strawberries now for Christmas crops and also berry fruit e.g. raspberries, gooseberries and currents

• Dig in green crops (usually around 8 weeks after planting) Tip: 2 weeks later re-dig the soil before planting vegetable plants

Lilies

• Plant Christmas lilies and Oriental bulbs or lift and divide your lilies from last season

Fruit Trees

• Catch the trend and grow your own fruit – Always tastes better from your garden.  New seasons stock arriving  in our garden centre NOW
• Try double or triple graft apples/pears if space in the garden is a problem
• Go organic – Disease resistant varieties means less spraying and maintenance e.g. Initial (Apple), Peasgood nunsuch (Apple)

Garden Clean up

• Spray fruit trees, roses, hydrangeas,  with Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil to prevent pests and diseases
• Prune fruit trees now (apples, pears and plums), endeavor to keep fruiting branches to the outside of tree.  Tip: Don’t prune apricots, peach or cherry trees – these need to be pruned when their leaves are on to prevent infection.
• Prune Grapevines, kiwifruit
• Trim/tidy Wisteria, lightly shape/trim hedges
• Pea straw/mulching – Replenish gardens with pea straw to discourage weeds
• Weeds may still be a problem due to warm weather – Tip: Keep on top of the weeds to prevent self seeding of weeds

Trees/shrubs

• Best time for planting trees and shrubs
• Perfect time to prune deciduous trees such as Robinia Mop Tops, Gledistia, Oak trees
• Apply slow Evergreen Slow Release fertiliser to shrubs in preparation for Spring growth
• Now is a good time for transplanting/removing deciduous trees and shurbs
• Cover Citrus/frost sensitive plants with frost cloth

Roses

• Purchase new seasons stock of Bush and Standard Roses – be in quick to get the rose you are after
• New roses – plant in sunny, free draining soil incorporating Evergreen Rose Fertiliser around roots.
• Now is the time for pruning roses
• Fertilise roses from around base to about 200 – 300mm from main stem with Evergreen Rose Fertiliser (slow release)

Flowers

• Buy winter annuals to brighten your garden e.g. violets, poppies, polyanthus, place in pots by front door
• Great time to divide perennials
• Check out our NEW SHADE HOUSE – Huge range of new seasons Rhododendrons and Camellias, also a great range of larger sized Camellias etc. to fill a gap