Summer has officially arrived, and that means more time outdoors enjoying everything your garden has to offer—from colourful blooms to homegrown harvests and peaceful evening unwinds. June is a key month in the gardening calendar, with longer days and warmer weather giving plants a real boost.
To help you make the most of the season, we’ve rounded up 15 practical and inspiring tips to keep your garden looking fabulous all summer long.
1. Fill Pots and Baskets with Summer Colour
Brighten up your patio or balcony with vibrant bedding plants. Trailing geraniums, petunias, and lobelia thrive in sunny spots, while begonias and busy lizzies love a bit of shade. For a season full of flowers, feed fortnightly with a high-potash fertiliser.
2. Plant Out Tender Veggies
Now’s the time to plant out hardened-off runner beans, French beans, courgettes, squash, and tomatoes. They’ll thrive in the summer warmth.
3. Succession Sow Salads
Keep your salad bowl full by sowing quick crops like lettuce, beetroot, and carrots every couple of weeks. This ensures a continuous harvest through the summer months.
4. Start Harvesting Potatoes
First early potatoes should be nearly ready. Gently dig around to check their size—if they’re still small, leave them for another week or two.
5. Feed Fruiting Crops
Support tomatoes, dwarf beans, and courgettes with a fortnightly high-potash feed (tomato fertiliser works great). This helps promote strong fruit development.
6. Lift Garlic and Onions
As their leaves turn yellow and flop over, it’s time to lift your garlic and onions. Let them dry in the sun before storing.
7. Protect Ripening Strawberries
As strawberries start to ripen, net them to keep birds from stealing your crop. You’ve worked hard—make sure you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour!
8. Keep Blooms Coming
Deadhead roses and pick sweet peas regularly to encourage more flowers. It’s a simple job that brings big rewards.
9. Cut Back Hardy Geraniums
Once flowering is over, give hardy geraniums a tidy-up to promote fresh foliage and a second bloom later in the summer.
10. Mow Mindfully
Keep your lawn healthy with regular mowing. During dry spells, raise the cutting height and mow less often. Better yet, leave a patch uncut to support insects and pollinators.
11. Stay Ahead of Weeds
Weeds flourish in summer—stay on top of them by hoeing on dry days. Cut annual weeds at the soil surface and leave them to dry out.
12. Summer-Prune Wisteria
Tame wisteria’s wild growth by pruning long, whippy shoots back to around 20cm. This helps shape the plant and prepares it for next year’s flowers.
13. Trim Evergreen Hedges
Give your evergreen hedges a summer trim to keep them neat. But before you start, check for nesting birds—if in doubt, wait a few weeks.
14. Prune Flowering Shrubs
After flowering, cut back shrubs like Philadelphus, Weigela, and Forsythia. Remove old stems and trim back flowered shoots to promote fresh growth.
15. Water Smartly
Watering is best done in the early morning or evening to reduce evaporation. Install a water butt to collect rainwater—plants love it, and so does the environment.
Make the Most of Summer in the Garden
Whether you're planting, weeding, harvesting, or just enjoying a cuppa on the patio, June is a wonderful time to soak up the joys of gardening.
Need plants, tools, or friendly advice? Pop into our garden centre—we’ve got everything you need to keep your outdoor space blooming beautifully this summer.
