Gardening Calendar

JUNE

Summer is here at last. This is a time of year when the gardener can begin to enjoy the fruits of his or her labours. Above all else, do take time to appreciate the garden, and don’t let it become a chore.

Ornamental borders will soon be at the peak of perfection, and there are plenty of early summer vegetables to be savoured now. Towards the end of the month soft fruit will also be ripening, to provide a mouth-watering selection of currants and berries during the rest of the summer.

June is a good time to:

• Make a herb garden – learn more here!
• Look out for pests and suckers on roses
• Plant out summer bedding in containers, including hanging baskets
• Give tired lawns a boost with a liquid feed
• Harvest vegetables as they mature
• Propogate climbers by layering

June Weather Watch

At last we can look forward to warm sunny days: very warm at times, with temperatures reaching 20-22C in places. In the north, average temperatures will still be slightly cooler, but still a respectable 16-18C. Don’t let plants suffer through lack of water during hot spells.

Make a herb garden

Herbs, as well as being useful for culinary purposes, are very decorative. This small feature consists of 1.2m (4ft) square, slighly raised bed, divide into four planting areas by diagonal rows of bricks, set simply into the soil. The cost depends largely on the size of plants you use.

You will need:
4 peices of 75mm x 25mm (3 x 1in) timber, 1.2m (4ft) in length
Eight wooden pegs, approx 30cm (12in) long
40mm (11/2in) nails
A spirit level, and a long lath or similar to rest it across the bed
Weather-resistant blocks, such as engineering bricks
A barrowload of equal parts garden compost and good topsoil, or use a John Innes or other soil-based compost.
Plants used here:
Greek basil; lavender ‘Seal’; oregano ‘Acorn Bank’; rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue’; white-flowered chives; purple and gold-variegated sages; golden thyme; small bay (in pot).

	1. Nail pegs a little way from each end of the four edging timbers for the bed.
	2. Drive the wooden edging into the ground, pegs on the inside, to make a square.
	3. Check each piece is level, and adjust by knocking in the higher ends if neccessary.
	4. Check diagonally to make sure one side isn't higher than the others, and adjust.
	5. Fill the rasied bed with the soil and garden compost mixture, or proprietart loam-based compost.
	6. Level the compost to just below the height of the edging.
	7. Wrap string around a couple of bricks and stretch this diagonally across the square both ways, slightly off-centre so that you can align the edge of the bricks with it.
	8. First lay the bricks diagonally across the bed in both directions, so you can adjust the spacing easily to make them meet neatly in the centre. Then scoop out pockets in the compost to set them in.
	9. Tap down the bricks with the handle of a club hammer to level them.
	10. The bricks not only make a decorative pattern, but allow you to put a foot on the bed to reach the herbs in the centre.
	11. Plant up the herbs, and water them in.
	12. We used a small bay in an attractive pot as a centrepiece.