June is here and hopefully we’ve seen the end of the chilly days of May, with Arctic winds and frosts behind us! Maggie Baldwin brings her top tips for the garden this month.
With roses coming into their own this month, keep an eye out for any suckers growing below the graft. These won’t be the same form or have the same flowers, so remove them by gently tearing the sucker away at its base.
Early flowering perennials such as delphiniums, lupins and oriental poppies can be cut back to the base. They will produce a new flush of foliage and maybe some new flowers. If it’s hot and dry, raise your mower’s blades to help your lawn become more drought resistant by encouraging deeper rooting of the grass.
Courgettes, pumpkins and marrows can be sown directly into the soil now, as can French and runner beans. Once the fruit sets on tomatoes, feed with a high-potassium liquid feed to help the plant produce more tomatoes.
Ensure your strawberry plants are protected by netting unless you wish to share your fruit with the local bird population! I usually put straw around the neck of the plants too, which helps keep the fruit off the soil and out of the way of slugs and snails.
Sweetcorn plants should always be planted out in blocks rather than rows, as they are wind-pollinated plants and block planting ensures good pollination and cropping.
I’m visiting the Gardeners’ World Live show at the NEC Birmingham later in the month. I’m hoping to have a good look around to see what’s new and hopefully pick up a plant or something decorative for the garden!
This month sees the 20th year of the wonderful Thetford Open Gardens in aid of St Nicholas Hospice. Programmes are now available from Leaping Hare. It’s a joy to wander around different gardens, buy a plant or two and, of course, enjoy a cup of tea and some delicious cake!
The Thetford Garden and Allotment Club is holding its Summer Show on Saturday 13th June at the Methodist Church in Tanner Street.
There are 12 classes for roses plus 10 for sweet peas, as well as garden flowers, vegetables, culinary and crafts. Schedules are available from the Chairperson, Yvonne Rout, at: yvonnerout@gmail.com
Happy Gardening!
Maggie Baldwin
