“The sun is up, the sky is blue, it’s beautiful, and so are you…” OK, you might not associate the song “Dear Prudence” with a gardening post, but it’s very applicable to June in our garden. The recent prolonged spell of hot sunny weather, followed by some fairly torrential rain, means our garden is absolutely blooming. Flowers I haven’t seen for ages are out, there’s masses of new growth everywhere, and the wildlife is having a ball. So, grab a drink and get comfortable for my very photo-heavy garden update in the first month of Summer. There’s lots going on and, as usual, plenty of jobs to be doing too.
What’s flowering this June?
June bulbs
Our statuesque purple alliums have gone over now, leaving their skeletal orbs intact which look very pretty. But our little yellow alliums are blooming happily by the pond. As is this unidentified bulb on the right. I have no idea what it is – some kind of allium? Or fritillary? I have no memory of planting it (although that’s not unusual for me) but it’s rather stunning, don’t you think?
And underneath our Viburnum Opulus Roseum, at the front of the house, are my favourite white gladiolus colvillei, also aptly called The Bride. I think it’s easy to see why they’re called that, no? Top tip: once the flowers have finished, you can dead head them but it’s important to leave the leaves in situ. They’ll carry on feeding the bulb underneath so it can re-flower next year.
June perennials – climbers
June in the garden is when all our roses really come into their own. And I couldn’t be happier about that, even if I can’t remember all their names as the labels are long since gone. But I absolutely adore them, even though they are viciously ungrateful when it comes to pruning and tying in… Here are a couple of pink scented ones that grace our pergolas and the entrance to the orchard.
And here are a couple of white ones, one over a pergola, one in a flower bed.
Next up is a lovely yellow rose by the front door and another pink one in a flower bed.
And one of my favourites is the fragrant pink Paul’s Himalayan musk rose that rambles through our peach tree and has extended her reach through our elder tree too. She only flowers for about four weeks of the year but when she does, just wow!
Roses pair very naturally with honeysuckle, it’s one of the quintessential English cottage garden marriages, and one I’ve tried to install in our garden too.
But that said, both look stunning on their own too. And can grow to great heights, which is always a challenge at pruning time… Top tip: keep dead heading roses to prolong their flowering season. You want to use a sharp pair of secateurs (and sometimes a ladder) and cut just above a new bud or leaf to stimulate fresh new blooms.
I’m of the firm belief that no garden is complete without at least one (preferably more) clematis. And these two summer flowering purple beauties are looking gorgeous right now. The left hand one is in Flora’s garden, the right hand one is next to our grapevine.
The last of the June climbers are our wisteria, flowering for the first time this year (whoop) and jasmine, which has survived her second winter (whoop, whoop). And she’s underplanted with some vibrant pink dianthus (carnations) which look lovely against the grey of the pot and the gravel.
June perennials – non-climbers
Phew, I did say June in our garden is a busy time for new growth, and this year is one of the best we’ve had so far. One of plants I’m most thrilled about is my new philadelphus mock orange by the pond. I bought her as a dried up twiggy clump from the end of season table in a garden centre and she’s surpassed all my expectations. Her scented white blooms are simply glorious. They remind me of old-fashioned Bazooka Joe bubble gum, but not as sweet. And they make perfect cut flowers as support for roses or blowsy peonies like the one on the right,
Some of the most vibrant colour comes from our salvias (sage), which have been LOVING the hot, dry, sunny weather. Salvia leaves smell wonderful when brushed past or rubbed gently to release the essential oils. Which is why it’s good to plant them near walkways. We have three colours in our garden: pink, blue, and purple. Top tip: underplanting your roses with salvias can help reduce the appearance of the dreaded black spot, or even keep it at bay entirely.
Another plant that smells wonderful when brushed or rubbed (so also great near paths and doors) is lavender. I have so many lavender plants dotted throughout the garden and they always come back. One of my most reliable stalwarts. As is the huge overblown red oriental poppy which self-seeded from goodness knows where a few years ago. It dies back to nothing over winter but come early June, just look at it!
The last of the perennials in our June garden are a few more fragrant dianthus that decorate our outdoor dining table (keeping the dragon sculpture company). You can pick dianthus up cheaply from supermarkets or garden centres, plant them out in the garden or pots when they’ve finished flowering, and they’ll come back the following year too. And, giving life to the pond area, is this stunning self-seeded hot pink lychnis coronaria. The original is on the top of the rockery so this extra plant is a welcome bonus addition, and much handier for taking cut flowers for the house.
June annuals
As you may recall, I sowed some cosmos and some sweet peas seeds in pots earlier this year and nurtured them in the greenhouse. They were planted out towards the end of last month and are already flowering – aren’t they lovely? It’s a little early to pick any cosmos but we’ve already had a couple of heavenly-scented sweet pea bedside posies. You just can’t buy these in shops and it’s such a treat to be able to pick them from the garden. Top tip: keep tying in and picking your sweet peas regularly, the more you pick, the more they flower. Don’t let them set seed (mini pea pods) as they think their job is done and pack up for the year.
And couple of early blooming native British annuals are the pretty blue nigella (love in a mist) and tiny wild foxgloves. Nigella flowers are edible flowers (think salad garnishes and cake decorations) but foxgloves most certainly are not, so please don’t try those. Fingers crossed some of my gazillion petunia seedlings will flower next month too.
June food
I’m delighted to say that June in the garden has seen us harvesting both rhubarb and raspberries. Both are absolutely delicious, and pair together surprisingly well. There’s nothing quite like picking a handful of sun-warmed raspberries as you carry out your garden jobs: deadheading, weeding, watering, and tying in. A very welcome treat and gardener’s perk 🙂 Even if the blueberries and gooseberries have a little way to go before I can graze on them.
As does the grapevine, which has leapt back into life and needs a little pruning before it grows into our neighbour’s garage, oops. But the strawberries are ripening nicely, although I have to get up early if I want to beat Flora to nabbing the best of the bunch!
Our Victoria plum tree and two cherry trees are groaning with new fruit. I remember our old gardener arguing with me that the plum tree was diseased and would never fruit. Sometimes instinct wins out over alleged experience, and I’m glad of that because the my plum jam is yummy, even though I do say so myself 🙂
The kiwis and pears are also doing well, I think we can look forward to some good harvests on both this year. It’s hard to believe they were both tiny little sticks when they went into the ground around eight years ago, they’re huge now.
Our superstar of an apple tree is also heavily laden, although you might not think when you see all the little fallers on the grass. But if you see this under your apple tree too, please don’t worry. It’s known as June drop and it’s Nature’s way of thinning out the harvest, to help more apples grow bigger and ripen faster. You’ve got to love it when Nature lends a helping hand, haven’t you?
Indoor garden jobs for June
What a difference a few weeks makes. Our baby tomatoes and cucumbers from April are happily ensconced in their grow-bags and storming away. I’ve also planted out Alan’s chillies (still in pots) around one lot of tomatoes and sown some beetroot seeds in pots around the other lot. Everything else (cosmos, lavender, petunias, cucamelons, beans) has been planted out, hooray. We shall see what happens, but I’m hopeful. All I need to do inside for the moment is keep supporting the cucumbers and pinching out the persistent tomato side shoots to focus the plants’ energies on growing flowers for fruits.
Outdoor garden jobs for June
Alan is still grass cutting once a week and Flora and I have both been loving being able to womble around barefoot on the grass. Doing this is supposed to be beneficial for mental health, and I must say it feels sooooooo good underfoot! Please do try it too if you get the chance. So, onto my two new raised beds which are home to some vegetables this year. In the left hand bed we have a mix of French beans and broad beans, and in the right hand bed are my cucamelons and three of the cucumbers that wouldn’t fit in the greenhouse. I’m intrigued to see how the outdoor cucumbers do against the indoor ones and whether there will be any difference in taste, size, and productivity.
And no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, those are dead holly leaves on the surface of the soil. Flora discovered this top tip from an old edition of Gardeners World (I’m raising her right, #proudmama). It’s supposed to act as a deterrent to cats and other wildlife from using the beds as their toilets. So far, so good. Watch this space. In the meantime, my outdoor jobs continue with deadheading, pruning, tying in, sowing seeds, and, of course, endless watering.
Wildlife
Sadly, I don’t think any of the frogspawn that was jostling in our ponds back in March has metamorphosed into tadpoles or baby frogs. I don’t know why, but it’s a real shame. Perhaps it’s been too hot for them this year? There don’t seem to be any in the village ponds either.
But the constant birdlife is still very much in evidence: pigeons, doves, blackbirds, jackdaws, pigeons, rooks, sparrows, robins, pigeons, various tits and finches, swallows, and did I mention pigeons? Perishing things, they poop everywhere and breed like rabbits, grrrr. As you may have seen on my Twitter last month, one of our bug hotels is in use. Just look at all those stopped up holes. We’re on tenterhooks to see what comes out in due course!
Flora’s garden
Flora’s garden is thriving too. Her garlic is (surely) nearly ready for harvesting, she’s had a few ripe strawberries already, her sunflowers are growing, and I’m curious to see what, if any, potatoes we might unearth soon. And just look at her beautiful purple clematis trailing over the fence in front of her raspberry bushes. Isn’t that the most gorgeous sight?
Really, given how little time she spends actually working in it these days (as opposed to telling me what needs doing), it’s a miracle of the let-Nature-take-her-course method of gardening…
June in our garden
If you’ve made it to the end of this post then thank you so much and massive congratulations! But this concludes my June in our garden update. I know it was a long post but there’s so much going on this June and I really wanted to share as much as possible with you. Particularly as some of you have taken pleasure in seeing what’s growing in our garden while you’ve been in lockdown and/or isolation. Now the restrictions are easing and the garden centres are open again, I hope this update might have given you some inspiration and ideas for your own outside space. If so, I’d love to see or hear what you’re thinking of doing? Meanwhile, thank you again for reading, and I very much hope you’ll join me again next month 🙂
What have you been enjoying in your garden or outside space this month? What are your favourite flowers to grow? Have you harvested any edibles yet? Have you been walking barefoot on the grass anywhere too?
Oh my goodness, your garden is absolutely stunning! Must be so much hard work maintaining it though! I would love to have a garden like yours but I just I don’t think I’d be able to keep up with it. Just beautiful ❤️
Thank you so much, Lisa! Yes, it does take quite a bit of time to maintain but luckily it’s pretty forgiving too – well, I say that, but sometimes there’s not much choice! X
I’m so jealous. I wish I had a beautiful garden like yours, with lovely blooming flowers. Thank you for sharing all of this beauty with us.
Thank you so much, that’s very kind – although it is a lot of work, haha!
Great post! I love the flowers in your garden! They are so pretty!
Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Wow some stunning pictures there. Love your blog x
Thank you so much 🙂 x
This looks so beautiful especially the creepers that are climbing the walls, I can’t imagine how much time and effort it must take to maintain this.
Thank you! And yes, it can be a little time consuming but we don’t mind (much!), it’s worth it 🙂
You may not know what it is, but your unidentified bulb is very pretty! I know plenty of people pull up strange plants, but I like to leave them and see what happens.
Your roses are causing me severe envy, especially the lovely, deep red ones happily growing up the side of your house. It reminds me of the fairytale Rose White and Snow Red.
I love that your fruit trees are doing so well, and how delicious are strawberries warm from the sun? I also love fresh garlic, and ours is also nearly ready to pull.
I always love your green garden diary posts! There may be no frogs this year, but the pond corner still looks lovely. 🙂
It is, I just wish I could find out what it is though! And that’s such a lovely thing to say about our roses, Jaya, exactly what I would expect from you 🙂 We are so very lucky with our garden, and I can’t wait to start munching on everything we’re growing – if the weather stays sunny it might not be too much longer! x
All of your flowers are beautiful and your garden looks amazing! I love the dragon!! What a great addition to the garden. 🙂
Thank you so much, Michelle, and yes, my husband likes to bring home unusual garden ornaments to surprise us!
Your garden is so beautiful! I have always had a love of roses, a total weak spot for them. We don’t currently have any, but I’ve seriously considered putting roses in our front flower garden (it’s currently empty while we decide what we want to have there). There is something so breathtaking about them, but there are SO many options and I always find myself wavering on what colours I want lol
Thank you, Britt! Roses would be lovely in your front garden, I think. Repeat flowerers are the best value, I think, for limited space. Yes you need to keep deadheading but they keep flowering longer too. And I don’t think you can beat a classic pink with a lovely scent 🙂
Those flowers are all so beautiful! You’re definitely giving me garden envy because I live in a flat and don’t have one.
Ah, I feel your pain, I lived in a first floor flat with only a window box for 15 years so I’m like a child in a sweet shop now!
Your garden is so beautiful – so many different flowers! The roses are stunning!
Thank you so much, we are very lucky!
OMG, your garden is so beautiful 😍, if I ever get a garden like yours I would dwell in it forever. I have learnt so many names of flowers
Aw, thank you so much, that makes me very happy 🙂
Loving all of your roses!
Thank you so much for showing us your yellow allium… We’ve got a random one growing in the garden and I was wondering what it was! 😀
They are spectacular this year for sure – and yes, alliums come in all shapes, sizes and colours, not just purple globes!
I love your garden! I too could and want to spend all my time in the garden. Proud mama is right if you can get your child into gardening; my 3 boys have had spot interest over the years but nothing substantial… time will tell.
I love your sleeping dragon!
Max
Ah, thank you so much, that’s so kind! Flora was originally a lot more hands-on in her garden thanks to our Mud & Bloom boxes (reviewed on this blog) but she’s still interested and loves finding tips to share with me 🙂
I wish I could step into your garden! So beautiful I wish I had the space for such a stunning array if colours
Sarah
Thank you very much – we are very fortunate to have our outside space, it’s a real blessing, especially right now.
The blue nigella’s are so beautiful! I don’t think I’ve ever seen those before? Apart from that, I love all the white and pink and pastel / girlie shades in your garden this month! I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of the bug house! And I can’t believe you have so many varieties of birds in your garden. Although we did have a hawk a couple of months ago… it was crazy!
Nigella comes in blue, purple, pink and white – not sure about any other colours, those are just the ones we had last year. And thank you, I hadn’t clocked the girly shades but you’re spot on! I’d happily swap our recent seagull for your hawk though, anything that would keep the perishing pigeons away! x
Your garden looks lovely and lavish – I love it!
Thank you, Lisa, that’s a lovely thing to say!
The garden looks stunning. My strawberry’s are currently feeding the wildlife 🤣
Oh no! Well, we have a lot of fruit so the birds are currently gorging on the cherries, which we don’t mind so much!
We just have strawberries my mum put in, ive managed to salvage one so far, but I did want to attract birds to the garden with my bird feeder, so…😂
Ah, well, no sympathy in that case, if I were a bird I’d prefer a juicy berry to a dry seed too!
Wow – you have such a stunning garden! I especially love the roses, my grandmother used to keep yellow ones in her garden!
Thank you for sharing, this brought back some lovely memories 🙂
Ah, that’s so lovely to read, I’m so glad it brought back some wonderful memories!
Oh these are so pretty your garden must look gorgeous!
Thank you very much 🙂
Your garden looks amazing! I’m jealous of all the fruits that you’ve been growing – the rhubarb and raspberries sound delicious x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Thank you! And I bet you could make some fab gins, vodkas and cocktails with all our fruit too! x
I just love your garden and your garden posts. It makes me wish I was more green fingered!
It looks absolutely gorgeous, and with this beautiful weather you must be really getting to enjoy it as well.
Floras garden is looking great too, I bet she will always enjoy being outdoors x
Ah, thank you, Claire. TBH I’ve learned as I’ve gone along, when we first moved here I had no clue what I was doing! But we’ve been very lucky and I think most plants do want to survive – fortunately 🙂 xx
Wow amazing, so many flowers. My favourite is also The bride.
Nice crocodile sculpure. My garden doesn’t have so many flowers
though..
Thank you – my husband is a fan of unusual garden decorations 🙂
Your garden is always so gorgeous! It is seriously goals girl! We’re struggling just to keep a rather small fruit and veggie garden alive. Turns out we’ll probably have to haul in better dirt next year. And we have too much sun for most things out front! It sure is a learning curve! I love that you have kiwi and strawberries growing!
Oh wow, thank you, Cassie, that’s so kind of you! I think lots of good soil, compost and mulch will definitely help your edibles. And perhaps you could consider turning your front yard into a gravel garden? Lots of lovely plants grow well in dry conditions!
So envious of your gorgeous garden! How brilliant that you’ve got so much edible stuff growing there too. The roses look absolutely stunning, I can just imagine how delicious they all smell.
Teresa Maria | Outlandish Blog
We are very lucky to have the space and good soil, things do seem pretty happy in our garden! And yes, everything smells amazing at the moment, it’s fantastic 🙂
Wow, you have a stunning garden, I wish I have one with beautiful flowers. Thank you so much Lisa for sharing this.
Thank you, Constance, I’m so pleased you like it!
Your garden is gorgeous; you can tell you spend a lot of time nurturing and maintaining it. I’m not green-fingered although I’d love to be – I struggle keeping anything alive!
Gemma | thatbookishgem.com
I’m glad you can tell we spend a lot of time on the garden, I do look at it sometimes and wonder why it looks like we haven’t done anything!
I love how colourful all the flowers are in your garden. My favourites have to be the roses especially the pink one it’s just so vibrant. Whenever I see this post it makes me want a garden so bad! X
Aw, I feel you, I had a window box in a first floor flat for 15 years but when you get your own garden you’ll make up for it! x
The June bulbs are so cute! I love the different colored flowers that you have in your garden! Oooh the wallflowers look amazing! Pretty cool tip about getting some fresh blooms too. Love that you grow kiwis too! Love the June blooms!
Nancy ♥
Thank you, Nancy, we sure do have a lot of different colours this month! 🙂
I love the idea of Flora standing there telling you what you need to do in her garden area 😂. Everything is looking incredible, as always, but the honeysuckle and roses look absolutely beautiful. Those strawberries are looking amazing too! I can’t wait for an update on how they turn out when they’re ready! x
Sophie
She’s an expert at that, haha. Thank you, I’m so pleased with the way everything looks this year, we’ve been very lucky, fingers crossed that continues! x
I always look forward to reading these posts. It looks like June is definitely the month for colour in your garden.
Thank you, Kelly, that’s very kind 🙂 And yes, this June is probably the most colourful for a while!
I am so in awe of your gardening and plant growing skills! I’m such a novice, and now I have a big yard full of potential. I just have to learn how to do it! My eventual goal is to have lots of flowers and possibly something simple that we can harvest to eat (like blackberries or raspberries). Right now we have weeds, and as our neighbor pointed out, poison ivy. We have some clematis like you do that’s growing beautifully, although it’s really from our neighbor’s yard. At least it’s some color! I love your gardening posts and seeing the beautiful array of flowers and plants you grow! I hope to one day have a dream garden like yours!
This is the loveliest thing to say, thank you so much! In all honesty, I’m a novice gardener, I just chuck stuff in and if it grows, it grows. If not, I try something else! We’re very lucky with our soil, I think, and the fact that most plants do have a genuine desire to survive, haha. A big yard: how exciting, you’re giving me the urge to start again now too! x
Beautiful! I love to garden and have a small veggie and flower garden. Your garden is so inspiring! Keep up the hard (rewarding) work!
Thank you so much, that’s so kind of you!
Your garden in June is absolutely beautiful with all the colorful flowers blooming and I can only imagine the fragrance all around. It is a lot of hard work I know that, but the result is so beautiful. I would be scared of the frogs though. 🙂
Via | https://glossnglitters.com
Thank you, Via, we are very lucky, everything is doing so well this year. And yes, it’s a lot of hard work, haha! 🙂
Your garden is beautiful. Thanks for sharing and brightening my day!
Thank you, that’s a lovely thing to say!
I’m sure your garden gets more beautiful each month! I particularly like the roses and red poppy that have flowered now. Your garden is so colorful!
Eve x
This June is probably the most colourful for a while – and thank you, Eve, that’s very kind! x
As always, your garden is looking amazing! It’s grown so much since your last update. I love the mix of colors and types of flowers that you have growing. I cannot wait to see how it progresses over the growing season.
Thank you, Sarah, that’s very kind – and I know, everything seems to have exploded this month, it’s an amazing difference in only a few weeks!
Awww I love this post – it helped me feel more peaceful and relaxed even reading it. Great to see some nature during lockdown my lovely xx
Wow, thank you, Soph, that’s such a lovely thing to read, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xx
I always look forward to your garden updates – they always make me wish I was more of a green thumb! Your June garden is blooming and it looks so beautiful! I am in love with the array of colour there are, it is gorgeous! I am excited to see just how pretty it looks next month.
Em | Loveemblog.com
Thank you, Em, that’s so kind of you 🙂 And I’m not really that green fingered, I’m still learning all the time!
Thanks for sharing, what is in bloom at the moment. My roses are still in bloom which is lovely and the lavander is a lovely purple colour, also I have just had climbing french beans delivered and tomato plants which mean’s now I have lots of watering to do!
Good luck with your gooseberries 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
The roses really are having a moment, aren’t they? And that’s sounds great, lots of yummy produce for you to harvest later this summer, fingers crossed 🙂
wow, beautiful flowers, as a lady, I like flowers more and more. From the post, I guess that you are an elegant lady who always could find the beauty of life. jeulia jewelry
Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
Your garden is stunning. I like all those gorgeous flowers. I’m not sure why my bulbs flowered only once. When the libraries re-open I will try to find a book, so I can look into this.
I love growing edible flowers too, but I did not have time this year. They do make a splendid addition to a dessert or a salad.
Thank you so much, that’s very kind. Some bulbs do only flower once though, it depends what they are. TBH I’d just Google whatever you’re trying to find out, it’s quicker! And yes, I’ve been using edible flowers in all sorts of things 🙂
I super love your garden especially the flowers blossoming, so beautiful! I am also growing roses – red, white and yellow. The fourth one, the color is yet to be revealed. I am inspired with your garden, keep it up! Kudos for your great work!
Thank you so much, that’s so lovely to hear – and how exciting, I wonder what colour your mystery rose will be!
Flowers in your garden look amazing. I like all of them, especially roses.
Thank you, they’re among our favourites too!
Wow! You have an absolutely lovely garden.
Thank you so much 🙂
Oh wow you have the prettiest garden. So many beautiful blooms xo
Makeup Muddle
Thank you, that’s very kind 🙂 x
I am in awe! Your garden is so beautiful, I mean look at all of those colours. This inspires me to get out there and put some effort in myself haha xx
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
Oh thank you so much, that’s such a lovely thing to say! And do have a go, it’s lots of fun 🙂 x
I can’t believe I missed your June update Lisa! Things are flying by this year, that’s for sure. As always your garden looks incredibly beautiful. I love the roses climbing up the side of your house – it’s stunning.
Aw, thank you, Kim, that’s so kind of you! And yes, time sure is galloping by 🙂