Blog: A contrary month in every way!
June has been a month of sharp contrasts – cloudy, misty and humid for more than a week at the beginning, followed by a week of extreme heat and thunderstorms. As I write, there are up to 50mph gusts of wind, and I’ve had to rush out and lay my tall tropicals in pots flat before they snap. Welcome to my garden in pictures June…
As usual, the weather has helped and hindered different plants. June is an odd month here – we often have a cool spell of dull weather, clouds drifting inland from the North Sea, hampering the growth of tender varieties. One thing’s for sure – plants are going to have to cope with extremes of every sort!
Thanks to Vanessa Sundin again for contributing some of her pictures!
Roses
June is the first month of the rose season and thanks to the warm spring, they’ve come on in leaps and bounds (no pictures of them battered to bits after the torrential rain and wind of the weekend, you notice!)
Ornamentals
Cream – a colour (if you can call it that) that always reminds me of June. It’s the perennials like Pyracantha and Rodgersia which come to the fore, along with the latter’s lush foliage. It’s the time of purples and blues, with perennial geraniums (Rozanne and Purple Haze), foxgloves and Aquilegia.
Tropicals
My favourite part of the garden in pictures June. This is the time they all end up outdoors for their summer holidays – bananas, ginger, and Coleus taking up residence in the tropical bed, along with two new Phormiums, Platt’s Black and Maori Sunrise. The Agapanthus and Pelargoniums (geraniums), which went out last month, are now flowering well.
Succulents
Another ‘summer holiday’ group, the succulents have taken up residence on the garage roof and wall – Agave variegata, Aloes, Echeverias and Sempervivums. The massive Aloe vera and its ‘skirt’ of a single Echeveria is in full flower, still in the greenhouse.
Edibles
Sown this month were Intred lettuce and chard Vulcan. ‘Back-up’ plan runner beans, White Emergo and courgette Jemmer planted – although I only actually lost one courgette Verdi di Milano of my own. The everbearing strawberries are giving a magnificent crop, and we’re expecting loads of apricots. Tomatillo Purplino went out in their elho self-watering Veggie Wall, plus a couple in with the courgettes.
Under glass, the conservatory’s tomatoes (Apero, Rosella, Yellow Pear Shaped and Maskotka) are doing well with their first fruits. Test variety Reisetomate is behind the others, but is flowering now.
All the overwintered chillies (Biquino Red, Razzamatazz and Trinidad Moruga Scorpion) have formed their first fruits. New chilli Palivec is yet to form flowers. In the greenhouse, the tomatoes have finally decided to grow, although the cucamelons are looking sickly… If your crops are affected by grey mould or other pests and diseases, check out the relevant pages on the site.
