June has proved to be a hot month. We had amazing weather for the Derby if you were just watching, perhaps not so good for the horses and their jockeys. Then we had a few good downpours of rain which made our gardens explode with plant growth. It is wonderful, but the secateurs do need to be well used now. One of the things we can do to keep the garden looking good is to deadhead certain plants.
Fuchsia surrounded by nemesia from Katherine’s Garden
Deadheading
Deadheading is the removal of flowers from plants when they have faded or died and is done to keep plants looking attractive and encourage re-flowering. It helps keep displays looking better for longer. Apart from appearance it also directs energy to give stronger growth and more flowers. It also prevents plants from self-seeding and as attractive as they are you may not want a garden full of valerian, sea holly, stipa and erigeron.
To deadhead plants with thick, tough or stringy stems, use secateurs, scissors or a knife. On most plants, trim away the spent flower, cutting back to just above the next bud or leaf on the stem.
For plants including delphiniums and lupins that produce heads of multiple flowers, pinch out individual flowers and then prune the entire head just above a lower bud, leaf or side shoot. Catmint, hardy geraniums and alchemilla may produce a second flush of flowers if cut back close to ground level after flowering. Oriental poppies can be cut back but normally will only produce fresh foliage.
There are some plants that do not require deadheading as they do not self-seed or they cleverly do it themselves and these include, fuschias, rudbeckia, sunflowers, many viburnum, rambler roses, nigella and honesty.
Watering
We can all try to water our gardens in a more sustainable way by putting in water butts and where possible recycling grey water. Water plants in the morning as this will allow the plants to use it to sustain them during the hot day.
Do not worry about watering lawns they are tough and once rain starts to fall, they return to their former glory quite quickly.
Do some research and look at plants that enjoy dry conditions and are still stunning.
When choosing plants look at the labels to see if they are a good choice for bees and other helpful pollinating insects as this will help the health of your garden.
Care for houseplant while on holiday
If you are fortunate enough to be going on holiday don’t forget your houseplants will need some attention. If you are away for a week or less watering your plants thoroughly before you leave should be OK. Place your houseplants in a sink or bath, with shallow water for about 10 minutes. Then remove them and put them back in their display pot so they will not be sitting in stagnant water.
Tomatoes
If you are growing tomatoes, they are probably putting on growth and setting fruit. Tie growing stems to supports each week, pinch out all the side shoots. It is important to water regularly to keep the moisture steady and not let the plants dry out too much.
Weeds
Weeds can spread like wildfire at this time of year and quickly take over. Bindweed is one of these culprits. It winds its way up a plant quickly smothering it before producing its trumpet-shaped flowers. Under the soils surface it is just as tricky as its roots intertwine with root balls of garden plants. It makes this one extremely difficult to get rid of as even if you use systemic weedkiller directly on to the leaves when they are dry you first have to isolate the bindweed leaves so you do not affect other plants nearby. Digging it out is probably the safest bet but this takes repeated efforts as even one small piece left in the ground can grow again so quickly.
Ordering Spring Flowering Bulbs
It is all in the planning. I know it is still the height of the summer, but soon it will be time to start ordering spring bulbs including daffodils, snowdrops, lilies and gladioli. They are planted when dormant and usually take just a few months to come into bloom. There are bulbs for most soil types and conditions and of course for putting in containers.