Last month, as my borders billowed out with foliage of fresh greens and silvers, with dashes of bronzes and maroons, it became quite apparent where the gaps were. This meant that this month I could afford myself the pleasure of some weekend retail therapy in local specialist plant nurseries. I actually get tummy flutters when I know I’m about to go and bend the ear of a local nursery expert and come away with a couple of trays of delights.
Knowing your Site
When you are thinking about what to plant in your borders, it is imperative you understand your site. When we carry out the site analysis at our client’s gardens we ask lots of questions about how the sun moves across the garden throughout the year. We also ask how they find the soil. Is it dry, does it crack, is it constantly wet? Although we do soil tests and analyze how the sun moves across the site, you can’t beat personal experience as this highlights the subtleties of the different areas. This is important and I will explain why. We don’t want plants to fail. It is a waste of client’s hard earned cash if they do. It really is a case of ‘right plant; right place’. A south facing garden will not always have borders in the full sun. Hedges and fences create shade pockets; a neighbor’s tree may shade; and trees can also make plump moisture retentive loam as dry as a desert. Wind can whip round part of the garden, but not touch another part. Even in a square 12x12m plot, a multitude of conditions can prevail as I show in this typical example of a site assessment.
Examples of the varying micro-climate conditions in a garden
And I am not immune to making mistakes. I recently moved, and I hadn’t experienced a whole growing season when I planted the borders. Part of a border I planted that experienced 6-8 hrs sunlight a day in the mid summer came to have none whatsoever in the winter. Plus it suffered exposure to winds I didn’t expect. I lost a handful of plants. The plants I had placed there needed warm dry soil, which I have everywhere else (their counterparts have romped back very happily). However, in the winter, this part of the bed was damp and cold and experienced a lot of battering from winds, the latter which probably tipped the balance. I will be replacing these losses with plants that are tough as old boots and will continue to rise in the face of adverse weather and lack of winter sun!
xSo when you are filling those gaps that have shown themselves to you this June, make sure you recall the conditions that area experiences throughout the whole year, and you will be less likely to make any costly mistakes.
Getting the Children Inspired
Simple! Help them pick a posy for Muma or Dad, or Gramps and Grandma, or anyone – even the dog walker or the postie. Everyone LOVES to be handed a posy. And while they are at it, a bit of deadheading is really useful to get more blooms from your plants!
Accessory of the Month
A selection of my secateurs. Almost a collection!
June is the time we really start to see a lot of blooms (particularly if you have a garden like mine that is really geared to wards summer/autumn), and to encourage more and more blooms, it is a good idea to deadhead. I would say it is imperative you have a good – and very sharp – pair of secateurs.
I have a number of varieties, but my favorite is a pair my dad gave me, mainly because they are adjustable to your hand size: it makes deadheading and cutting boughs of early summer blossom from flowering shrubs easier. They need to be sharp so you make a clean cut so reducing the likelihood of the plants getting any infections – maybe not so important for perennials, but definitely in the case of shrubs. My shrub of the month to cut and bring into the house is Philadelphus (Mock Orange). Its heady scent beats any manufactured air fresheners hands down.
Some Garden Tasks for June
Greenhouses: Now we are in for some (hopefully) warmer and sunnier weather, it is time to shade greenhouses. You can buy shade paint that you apply in layers as it gets hotter, or use netting or blinds inside the greenhouse. Maintain a good level of humidity by damping down regularly and ventilate. Good airflow reduces diseases.
Those Pesky Weeds: Keep hoeing…dull as it may be, it is needed to ensure your garden is beautiful. I leave some seedlings though. Nigella and Erigeron seedlings are left to fill in gaps. And are free! Bonus!
Shrub Pruning: Many spring and early summer flowering shrubs are pruned after flowering. HOWEVER; I do urge you to research your individual shrubs. My Cornus florida f. rubra flowers in May, but is pruned in early spring before flowering and only to maintain a good shape. Prune deutzia, spiraea and lilac now. Prune Magnolia x soulangeana, M. liliflora, and M. stellata now. This is important as they can bleed in spring, and suffer die back when dormant if you prune then.
Cornus flowers May and Early June but don’t prune this after flowering.
Feed Roses: If you have them! If not, go and buy yourself one! Check your roses for evidence of rust, blackspot or mildew. Feed later this month to help minimize chances of infection.
Mow: Lawns need a regular mowing now if you have a conventional lawn.
Divide Bulbs: Once the leaves of snowdrops, bluebells and other spring bulbs start to yellow, you can lift and divide them.
Stake your Perennials: It is best to stake perennials before they grow too much so they grow through and hide the structure. I use birch twigs shoved in hard around the base of the plants. I do this because they are free and I love the natural look, and it doesn’t matter if I leave it too late as I can slide them easily between the growth. But there are many beautiful metal supports out there if you prefer something more structured.
Cut yourself a posy: Regularly cut sweetpeas to encourage more flowering. The more you pick, the more you get!
(as written for Sussex Local Magazine, June 2015)
