June Garden Tips

Hopefully we can look forward to a little less rain for the rest of the month. Enjoy your garden but there are many chores to keep up with this month.

LAWNS

Regular mowing is now required but remember to vary the blade height according to the weather, not too low if we have a dry spell. You should spike your lawn to allow rainwater to feed the roots. Use fungiscides to rid the lawn dollar spot and corticium and renovate any damaged areas.

ROSES

In order to get long stems, remove any small buds with your fingers to allow the main stem to grow. Also pull away any brier shoots on the main stem or even back to the shoots growing from adjacent soil. Remembrer to hoe the soil for aeration.

HERBACEOUS BORDERS

June should bring colour to your herbaceous borders. Trim back any early flowering varieties and allow geranium foliage to cover the blank spot. Primroses can be devided and repalnted. Don’t allow plants to become dry.  Water and feed chrysanthemums and gladioli.  Tie up irises, cut blooms as you like and then cut them back when finished flowering. You may need to spray lilies and make sure to keep the sweet pea moist.

By the end of June lift your tulip and daffodil bulbs trim and store for replanting in late autumn.

TREES & SHRUBS

Keep any grass away from the trunks of shrubs and trees. And remove any self sown trees such as sycamore or ash. Prune such shrubs as deutiza, cut back brooms to prevent seeding and dead head laburnum. Take care with disease on the rhododendrons and azaleas.

PATIOS & DECKING

All patio pots will need regular watering. Remove dead heads and top dress the pots .

VEGETABLES

Plant out the outdoor varieties and remember tomatoes should be staked, don’t forget they will need regular watering. Othet vegetables for planting this month are marrows, courgettes, spinach and leeks. If you have asparagus spears should be harvested when they are 5" to 7" high and before the tips begin to loosen. Once the tips loosen, the spears become tough and fibrous. To harvest spears, cut or snap them off just above the soil level. Leaving a stub causes no harm to the plant. Once the bed is well-established, harvesting can continue until the bed yields only skinny spears that are less than a half inch in diameter. Leave these to grow without restriction to feed the plant for the following year.  Don’t forget the herbs, dill and chervil can be sown now.

Monkeypuzzle.ie will be delighted to help with any of the above or any other garden or landscaping matters.  Please call Daragh at 012897751