Blog: Flowers and lush leaves all the way!
This is the month when even non-gardeners step outside and make use of their outdoor space but what are the best plants for June gardens?
Here, I’ve listed the best performers in my garden. To be fair, those that really stood out were those that coped with the low temperatures and sun of May, followed by a really dry June. The first three weeks of the month had one small shower here in North-East England – empty butts time! Thankfully, as I write this, it’s been raining for a day, so everything’s getting a good soaking.
I’ve split them into echiums, roses, biennials, shrubs/perennials and exotics/tender plants, plus edibles.
Best plants for June gardens – Worth the wait – Echiums
One of the best plants for June gardens is undoubtedly the Echium. I’ve waited four years for these two to flower. They’re usually triennial (three years) but can go to four. They’re well worth it, as the plants lengthen and there’s visible growth every day from spring. The tiny flowers on the huge stems appear in June, a favourite of bees. They die after flowering but self-seed everywhere – the big one into pure gravel! This Echium pininana reached about 10ft, but that’s including about 3ft crawling along the floor.
Red Rocket is much smaller, about 4ft, with long, silvery leaves and those rosy-red flowers. They do all cross-pollinate prolifically, so it will be interesting to see what seedlings pop up! To remove the dead plants, see my video.
The first roses of the year
It looks like a good year for roses if my plants are anything to go by. All have a really good number of buds. In fact, the only variety which hasn’t opened yet is the new Sweet Honey. It was voted Rose of the Year 2020 and is a creamy apricot floribunda. I love apricot roses, and it has many buds, so I’m hoping it works well with the similar shades of climber Crown Princess Margareta and Leah Tutu.
Best plants for June gardens – shrubs and herbaceous perennials
It’s the time to enjoy early-flowering summer shrubs like Weigela (W. florida Variegata and Bristol Ruby). These plants provide the backbone of the summer border. Don’t forget shrubs like Cotinus (smoke bush), whose foliage tends to open late. Acer shirasawanum Jordan’s lime-yellow foliage provides a great contrast.
Herbaceous perennials with either huge or colourful leaves at this time include Heuchera, Persicaria, golden hop, Rodgersia, Rheum palmatum and Astilboides.
Flowering perennials at their best are Astrantia (deep red Claret or pink/white Buckland), Centaurea and Aquilegia. Alliums are good choices, especially Rosy Dream, which I grew for Million Planting Moments.
Biennials and annuals
Everyone should make room for biennials – my foxgloves, violas, Welsh poppies and sweet rocket seed themselves, survive in the dry shade of the hedge and are totally undemanding. I simply pull out any seedlings I don’t want. The ideal beginner’s plants!
I’ve cut down on annuals that take too much work to just sweet peas. This year, I have Chiltern Seeds’ Flamingo Flamenco Mix, a hot combo of deep pink, red and orange shades. They are prolific, heavily perfumed and easily the best mix I’ve grown. Like the biennials, some annuals self-seed – nasturtiums, poppies and Calendula.
Best plants for June gardens – exotics and tender plants
The tender showy plants are starting to get into their stride. The most prolific bloomers so far are the white morning glories (yes, they look like bindweed)! Some of the Mac’s Mix XV seed packet plants are revealing their identities; the latest is the yellow trumpet morning glory.
Most plants are in terracotta rather than plastic this year, so it has meant more watering. The dry conditions haven’t suited the Coleus, which I planted en masse in a bed. Hopefully, they’ll perk up with the rain, and the pigeons will stop pecking them.
For those ornamentals still under glass, the Colocasia (elephant ears) are living up to their name and taking over the greenhouse with their huge leaves. I love them! As ever, the Pelargoniums (geraniums) are performing well, and the annual dahlias have started flowering.
Grow your own fruit and veg
Now’s the time you start to see the fruits of your labours! I picked my first tomato on June 20, Tumbling Tom Red and the first strawberry ripened the day before. However, the bush tomato experiment has filled the conservatory, so I may have to make some serious judgment calls in there.
The garlic scapes have been harvested (they were delicious), and the bulbs themselves should be a fortnight or so. Of the chillies, Hungarian Hot Wax is romping away, with fruits getting bigger every day.
Here’s how my garden looked in June last year.
