June
Gardening tasks for June: Embracing Winter Prep
As the winter season envelops us, June beckons us to take on essential gardening tasks with warmth and enthusiasm, setting the stage for a thriving garden come spring. Let's dive into some friendly gardening to-dos:
Winter Veggies
Get your hands a little dirty by sowing winter vegetables. This nurturing act promises a delicious and rewarding harvest to complement those chilly winter days.
Plant cabbage, cauli, broccoli, spinach, onion, leek, pak choi & silverbeet seedlings.
Plant garlic & shallot bulbs.
Plant rhubarb plants.
Plant early to main crop potatoes.
Sow broad beans.
Blooming Beauties
Consider planting winter-flowering plants to add a splash of color and cheer to your garden.
Plant polyanthus, pansies, primulas, wallflowers, stock, cineraria, & violas.
Feed winter flowering annuals with flower power or dried blood.
Plant new seasons lilies.
Plant new seasons roses.
Start to prune existing roses and hydrangeas.
Lift and divide summer and autumn flowering perennials (e.g. asters, phlox, canna's & dahlias).
Prune & Spray
Winter is the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and give your deciduous and fruit trees some TLC.
Pruning while plants are dormant have several advantages:
Cuts will heal faster.
The cooler temperature reduces the stress on the plant when pruning and bacteria/bugs that may use this as an opportunity to get into the wound aren't around.
For deciduous trees having no leaves means you can clearly see which branches need trimming and which ones can stay. The main reason to prune is to clear away damaged/crossed & diseased branches and spreading
to healthy branches.
Removing these branches improves air circulation
and reduces disease encouraging fruit production.
HOT TIP! Make sure your tools are clean and sharp before starting the job. Also, a pruning seal can be applied to seal large cuts to help prevent disease.
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Spraying
After pruning your deciduous trees and deciduous fruit trees it's a great idea to set up a little winter spraying schedule, this will help with disease prevention and pest control.
We recommend using both an oil and copper spray. It is safe to mix a spraying oil with a powdered/granular copper (not liquid copper). This will help kill most insects, pests and eggs that have been hibernating over the cold winter months. Repeat every 3-4 weeks before buds burst.
HOT TIPS!
Mix with warm water into a slurry before adding to the sprayer. Use all of the spray, do not leave in the sprayer as it will block up nozzles etc.
Don't put infected leaves in your home compost as they can harbour fungus and insect eggs which can reinfect your garden.
Indoor Plants
For flowering plants like orchids and cyclamen, consider giving them a liquid feed to support their blooming.
During winter, indoor plants typically experience slower growth and reduced water uptake due to lower light levels and cooler temperatures. Therefore, it's important to water sparingly to prevent overwatering, which can lead to root rot and other issues.
Lawn care
Treat lawns for hydrocotyle before it gets established.
Dress lawns with lime and superphosphate, four weeks apart.
Aerate lawns to prevent waterlogging and moss growth.
Avoid cutting lawns too short as grass needs more leaf in the weak winter sun.
Plant Protection
Keep a watchful eye on your delicate plants, shielding them from frost, wind, and excessive moisture. A little extra protection now means a lush and vibrant garden later.
In areas where there are hard frosts, lift tropical water lilies and store in a dry place over winter.
In areas where there are frosts, cover frost tender plants at night.
Taking on these gardening tasks in June isn't just work - it's a nurturing embrace of your garden, setting the scene for a flourishing and vibrant space in the seasons to come. Happy gardening!