Gardening in June
• Dreaming of your own orchard? Now’s the time to plant new fruit trees, including citrus, stonefruit, apples and pears.• Plant cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli seedlings to keep your table well-stocked with veggies over winter.• Roses are red… and new season varieties are in gardening centres now. Choose a couple to perk up your backyard – and prune existing plants from the• Garlic and shallot bulbs love winter soil. Pop them in the earth anytime between early June and late July.• June is the perfect time to prune any trees that are through with fruiting. Cut stems back just so a healthy bud is left for next season.• Love your salad greens and sow seeds for spinach, peas and lettuce now – along with onions and silverbeet for a healthy winter harvest. If you’re in a warmer part of the country, you could also consider sowing broad bean seeds.• Slugs and snails can be a problem in winter, so invest in some pellets or make your own natural repellent using coffee grounds and eggshells.• It may not feel like it, but spring is coming! Pop asparagus crowns and strawberry plants in free-draining soil now for a bountiful harvest in a few months’ time.• Start watering indoor plants less, testing moisture levels with a finger. Keep plants away from both heaters and drafts.• Don’t let wild weather damage your garden. Firmly stake and tie any fragile or young plants, and shield delicate plants and seedlings from frost with a frost cloth.• Winter can see pests and diseases set in on deciduous fruit trees. Spritz them with copper spray for protection during the cold months – and keep your loppers and secateurs clean to prevent the spread of diseases.• The garden can look a little bare in winter – so why not add some cheering colour? Try planting bright flower seedlings: we love forget-me-not, pansies, anemones, poppies, lobelia and alyssum. Daphne, camellias and rhododendrons can also go in the ground now for a pop of colour – and for spring blooms to look forward to, sow seeds of calendula, dianthus, sweet william and sweetpeas.
