June Garden Guide

June has arrived, and that means winter is officially upon us! Time to embrace the new season - things may not look quite so colourful, but there's still plenty of value to be found & harvested from the winter garden. Read on for a guide to gardening in June.

WHAT TO PLANT THIS MONTH

• There’s still time to plant garlic and shallots. Traditionally, get them in before the winter solstice and harvest by the summer solstice in December.
  
• Plant in new fruit trees - citrus, apples, pears, plums, peaches, and nectarines (and don’t forget to feed your established fruit trees!).
  
• Plant seedlings: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, winter spinach, silver beat, and asparagus. Keep them protected from the cold with a frost cloth, tunnel or cloche while they are young.
  
• Keep planting those strawberries! They’ll really benefit from a period of winter chilling; you'll be rewarded with bigger, juicer fruit.
  
• Plant new rhubarb, and lift and divide old crowns.

GENERAL MAINTENANCE

Keep your secateurs and loppers clean & maintained with white spirits, or Niwaki Crean Mate & Camellia Oil. Keep cutting tools sharp for neater cuts, and to prevent any diseases from spreading.

Get any weeds under control - now is the time to nip them in the bud while they’re still small. You’ll be thanking yourself when spring comes around!

Make the most of those fallen autumn leaves; they’re a great source of carbon for your compost bin, or you can shred to use as mulch.

Refresh & revitalise your soil by adding compost, worm castings, sheep pellets, or other organic matter.

Spray your fruit trees with Free Flo Copper to prevent pests and diseases from taking hold.

Now's the time to invest in a water tank! Make the most of wet winter weather, so you have plenty of extra water to tap into come summer.

As it get's colder, our feathered friends will appreciate some extra sustenance. Just remember, it's vital to keep your feeders clean.

IN THE FLOWER GARDEN

For some cheerful winter colour, plant these seedling now: alyssum, forget-me-not, pansies, viola, polyanthus, primula, poppy, sweet pea, cyclamen, hollyhock, lobelia, sweet william, anemone, candytuft and bellis daisy.

New seasons roses are starting to appear in stores!

Lift the last of your dahlia tubers and gladioli corms. Store in a dry place, and remember to label.

Prune back your hydrangeas once the flowers have finished. Mulch with compost; feed red flowers with lime and blue flowers with aluminium sulphate.