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JUNE
Water Your Plants !
During hot periods , watering needs to be done thoroughly . Small quantities of water applied more often do little to help thirsty plants . The best way to water is deeply , so that the ground or pots are given a good soaking . This should then last for the best part of a week . Watering deeply and less frequently also encourages plants to root deeply in search of water making them stronger , healthier and more resistant to pests and disease . Frequent small quantities of water encourage a lot of shallow roots which do not help anchor the plant and make them far less resistant to drier periods throughout the summer .
Lawn Care
By June , you should be mowing your lawn at least once a week , twice would be better ! More frequent mowings help keep your lawn healthier in the long run . Remember to mow in a different direction each time as going in the same direction every time you mow will cause the grass to grow in that same direction and then it won ’ t be cut properly as time goes on . Keep the blades at the lowest setting and only raise it up if the grass begins to brown due to dry hot weather .
Brush any worm castings you find over the lawn as they are rich in nutrients . June is also a great month to give your lawn a liquid feed boost , dilute with water and use a sprayer or watering can to get quick results .
Prune Large Deciduous Shrubs
June is the time to renovate and prune many non-evergreen ( deciduous ) shrubs such as Weigela , Philadelphus and Deutzia . Once they have finished flowering , prune out any dead or damaged stems cutting to a healthy stem joint . Remove about a third of the older stems at ground level using a pruning saw or a decent pair of loppers . The growth put on through the rest of the year will have next year ’ s buds on . A good feed with a high-quality fertiliser and a fresh layer of mulch can then be applied .
Keep an Eye Out for Caterpillars
The dreaded cabbage white butterfly caterpillars start hatching around this time and they can make very short work of brassicas if allowed time . The very best way to prevent them from becoming a problem is to check on the undersides of all the leaves of your brassicas to find the groups of yellow-coloured eggs .
Remove them or squash them ! It is possible to prevent as many adults laying eggs in the first place by covering your brassicas with a fine mesh held up with framework , but a few inevitably tend to find their way in !
Deadhead Regularly
Many garden plants will produce more flowers through the summer if deadheaded regularly . Perennials , bedding plants and many roses will benefit from this , extending the flowering season . Remove old flowers as soon as they begin to fade by pruning back to a bud using a pair of secateurs . Your garden plants want to produce seeds and once this is completed , they consider their job done . By cutting the flowers off as they fade , the plant will then put its energy into creating more flowers as the season progresses . If you keep on top of this , it is possible to have summer bedding plants still flowering strongly right through into the autumn months .
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