• Keep an eye out for pests, including lily beetles. These are bright red and need to be removed before they decimate lilies.
• Notice mildew, especially on forget-me-nots when they are past their best. Mildew can spread to nearby plants, so it’ s best to remove affected leaves or pull up and discard the entire plant.
• Keep weeds under control in borders as they will be competing with shrubs and perennials for space and nutrients. Hoeing is effective as it cuts them off near the soil surface. A great way to reduce weed numbers is to plant densely, leaving very little bare soil. Applying mulch around plants( but don’ t allow it to touch stems) will also inhibit the germination of weeds.
• Don’ t be tempted to water the lawn. In fact, try not to water anything apart from containers and plants that haven’ t yet established a healthy root system. A lawn will recover from turning brown during dry spells and should be as biodiverse as possible, with areas of longer grass, wildflowers and clover.
HARDY GERANIUMS WILL PERFORM BETTER AND FOR LONGER IF YOU GIVE THEM THE CHELSEA CHOP
FIND THE TIME TO ENJOY YOUR
GARDENS IN JUNE
• Certain edible plants are so easy to grow that it’ s worth finding space for them, even if you don’ t have a kitchen garden. Cut-and-come-again salads are among these. Home-grown salads can be sown into pots and prepared beds. They germinate and grow quickly, and you can harvest them using scissors. Leave the parent plants as they will continue to produce new growth.
• Slugs and snails can be a big problem at this time of year. You can try to protect vulnerable plants by using nematodes( microscopic parasitic creatures); sprinkling diatomaceous earth( DE) around the stems( use food-grade DE around edible plants); placing sheep’ s wool pellets on the soil, as these absorb moisture and form a felt-like mat; sprinkling sharp gravel or crushed eggshells around prized plants. Or you can try a good helping of coffee grounds. Where slugs prove to be a huge problem, choose plants they find unpalatable, such as Aquilegia, Astrantia, Bergenia, Crocosmia, Euphorbia, foxgloves, Geum, lavender, Penstemon, rosemary, Veronica, ornamental grasses and shrubby plants.
Sit back, relax and find time to enjoy your garden this month. It really is the very best time to immerse yourself in the blissful space you’ ve created.
26 < Boxmoor Direct < June 2026 <