Hello there and welcome back to what has been my dormant garden linky. From this month onwards I plan to bring it back monthly, with the linky opening on the 1st of the month and staying open for the whole month. You’re welcome to link any posts that have a garden theme - this could be your garden, the plants you’re growing or the gardens you visit, or anything in between - just so long as it’s related to gardening.
For the next year I’m drawing on inspiration from the gardening legend Alan Titchmarsh and collating information in these posts which is widely available in the public domain.
So, let’s get on shall we?
Plants in their prime this month
Rhododendrons - if you’re off to visit any gardens this month then it’s highly likely you’ll spot these, they can range from small bushes to large trees and have a ‘head’ of flowers.
Clematis Montana - one of my favourites and one we see regularly in Norfolk. Dad has one in his garden and it’s trying its hardest to flower, the buds are almost fit to burst so I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before the pale pink flower engulfs his garden, and most of Norfolk.
Wisteria - the classic early-summer flowering climber with its long trailing streamers of lilac-blue pea-like flowers. I’ve seen some in flower near to us already, so the are about.
Tree peonies - they have giant crumpled tissue-paper like flowers on small woody trees, and not to be mistaken for peonies which are likely to make an appearance next month.
What to do in the garden this month
Plant half-hardy and frost-tender plants. Summer wouldn’t be the same without hanging baskets and the big job for this month is to plant them up. Also pot-grown dahlias and exotics, as well as frost-tender vegetables such as courgettes, runner beans and sweetcorn.
Be patient and prepare the soil. But don’t rush to plant things - if the weather looks iffy it’s better to hang on for a few days. Aim to plant things out from the middle of the month onwards, unless the weather is still looking iffy.
Watch out for pests. It’s the month when they can be troublesome, but hopefully if it’s just a small outbreak, nature will take its course.
Watch out for, get ahead and last chance
Watch out for late frosts.
Get ahead and identify any gaps in your borders, so you know what you’re after when you visit the garden centre.
Last chance, at the start of this month to sow a new lawn.
