The Met Office has identified one essential June gardening job for anyone with a garden, as summer arrives and experts put together a plan for garden enthusiasts to protect their plants' health in the heat.
Experts at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) share top tips on how best to look after the garden this summer. It is that time of year in June where the garden becomes the focus, whether hosting guests for a BBQ or pruning greenery to impress friends. A beautiful garden goes a long way, and with plenty of sunshine, there are important factors to consider to protect plant health.
Key Advice from the Met Office and RHS
The Met Office teamed up with the RHS to share essential tips for gardeners this summer, with one particularly important given the warmer weather forecast. Guy Barter, chief horticultural adviser at the RHS, said: "June marks the beginning of summer and the days are at their longest. Although August is often hotter, June typically enjoys the most sunshine."
RHS experts suggested that gardeners "use water wisely." Mr. Barter added: "It is important to water regularly during June, especially when it comes to pots and other containers. Happily, these will make good use of wastewater from the kitchen. It is worth using two-thirds of the water in water butts in June. If there are some thundery downpours later in summer, it will top them up nicely, perhaps enough to see you through until the autumn rains. Established trees and shrubs do not generally need watering, whereas newly sown or newly planted areas should be high priority."
Additional Gardening Tips
- Hoe the garden regularly to control weeds.
- Plant out and pot up as early as possible in June.
- Use the 'puddling in' method for hot and dry weather: make a hole the right size for the plant's root ball, fill it with water several times, place the plant, firm the soil, water again, and apply mulch to prevent weeds.
The experts explained: "Plants will grow quickly as they are sitting in a ball of wet soil."
Lawn Care Advice
Additionally, the experts suggest mowing the lawn at least once a week. They said: "June is the time to mow once a week, ideally letting cuttings fall back into the sward to feed the lawn. This also avoids the chore of collecting and composting cuttings." Instead of watering lawns in dry weather, the experts suggested mowing less closely and less frequently, adding: "Don't worry if there are any dead patches as they will recover in autumn."
