What to do in the garden in June

Flaming June is a delight in the garden, what with roses blooming, borders bursting with colour and the first new crops to harvest. Here are the jobs to be getting on with this month:

General tasks:

• Target weeds, regularly hoeing bare soil on dry days and forking out perennials like ground elder as soon as you see them.
• Check moisture levels, digging down with a trowel to find out how damp the soil really is underneath – then water where necessary.

Ornamental gardens

• Take care of hanging baskets dead-heading regularly and adding a liquid feed to the watering can once a week.
• Tie in new growth of climbers like roses and clematis while it’s still young and pliable.
• Dig up tulip bulbs to dry and store until you can plant them again in autumn.

Kitchen garden:

• Sow squash in pots of compost and place on a warm sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse, then plant out in a sunny spot.
• Sow oriental salads such as pak choi, mizuna and Chinese cabbage as they’re less likely to bolt in mid to late summer.
• Thin apples so your trees aren’t exhausted by trying to bear too heavy a crop, removing the smallest from each cluster.