June In the Garden!

June means that nearly half a year is over, and that winter is here for the next couple of months. It is starting to get really cold and we are getting more rainy days.  A lot of the deciduous trees are still shedding their leaves and some plants have slowed their growth down while others are just getting started!
Throw on some warm clothes, get your garden gloves and jump in the garden as there are many things that you can do at this time of the year!

What to plant?

Bare Rooted plants: This is the time of the year where we start receiving all our bare rooted plants. Bare rooted plants are dormant plants with no leaves and soil. These are much cheaper than normal potted plants and are easier to plant for a number of reasons. Click here to read more about bare rooted plants.

Veggies: It’s truly cold now, but it is just what some veggies love!  You can plant the whole range of brassica such as cabbage, cauliflower, brocolli, brussel sprouts.
All leafy greens such as asian greens like mizuna, tatsoi or pak choi, lettuce, rocket, spinach, mustards, spring onions, leek, kale and swiss chard. 
Legumes such as Snow Peas and Sugar snap peas are very easy plants to grow right now, just make sure to provide some trellis for them.
Root crops such as radish, beetroot, turnips, swedes, parsnips, carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic. All of those would take several months before harvest, except for radish which are ready after 30 days!
Some great companion plants for all these are herbs such as sage, winter thyme, parsley, mint, chives, coriander, dill, oregano, marjoram, etc that deter pests such as caterpillars.

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Winter flowers: There is a wide range of winter flowers that you can put in your garden that will flower during winter. Click here for flowering perrenials.

Other Plants: With the cool weather it is a generally good period to put any other plant in the ground! The roots have time to grow during winter and you will see some amazing growth in Spring!

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What to do?

☆ Rake in all the leaves from the deciduous trees and make a nice compost pile. If you already have a compost pile, add the autumn leaves and turn it over and mix them well for a winter composting pile.

☆ Soil Improvement – Before putting in your winter veggies and plants it is a great time to add a fresh top layer of organic materials such as compost and manure, ideally in a blend. Remember to scrape back your mulch before doing so.

☆ Scrape back mulch – As the days are getting cold and rainy, it is good to scrape back some of your mulch that has not broken down properly and especially if it too thick. Leaving a thick mulch in winter will keep the soil soggy and give wet feet to your plants. This can also cause fungal problems and diseases to arise.

☆ Watering – Time to dial back the automatic watering system to water the garden less as too much water will cause root rots. If you water manually, you can do it less often. Just poke your finger in the soil and see if it is moist enough. Let nature help you out 😉

☆ Cuttings – Winter is the time for taking hardwood cuttings. Deciduous plants such as roses, wisteria and grapevines are best propagated from hardwood cuttings. Make sure to use the old growth and not new tender ones. Old branches from 1-2 years are not flexible, hence the term hardwood. These have more energy in them to grow into new plants.

☆ Fertilisation – If your hedges are starting to look a little bit yellow, you need to add some dolomite lime to raise the ph slightly and provide the calcium that will keep them nice and green. These are important for all your box type green hedges and great for apple/pears. Feed your camellias, azaleas, daphnes, and rhododendrons now as they are hitting their peak flowering time. Use a specialised food for these plants as they are unique in that they prefer acid soils. Use some general liquid fertiliser such as Charlie Carp (Available in store) on your plants in general to give them a good boost before winter.

☆ Pruning – You can now clean and tidy up all the autumn flowering plants such as asters, cyclamens, sedum and chrysanthemums. It is also good time to prune deciduous shurbs of their sick and unproductive branches. Avoid pruning back the spring flowering plants though.

☆ Moving or transplanting – With the nice cool weather, it is an ideal time to move or transplant plants as the plants have time over winter to grow new roots and be ready for spring. You can re pot plants that have outgrown their pots and are getting root bound. Remove the plant and trim some of the roots at the bottom, shake off some old soil and add some fresh one at the bottom of the pot to give your plant a fresh start. They will love it!
☆ Weeding – Does it ever stop really? Get on your knees and Stay on top of the weeds!

Pest & Disease Control!

At this time you will see a decline in cabbage moths, but there might still be a few flying around and lay their eggs. But it is not of too much concern as they will die off in the cold. You may still have other problems such as aphids and other caterpillars, so planting a range of pest deterrent aromatic herbs along with your plants and veggies is always a good idea!
There are many insects that overwinter on fruit trees and roses. When the leaves have fallen, spray them with white oil to suffocate those insects, and make sure you get a good coverage.

Avoid other fungal disease by raking the old leaves and getting rid of them if they were diseased or if they were not affected, you can safely put them in the compost pile.

It is always rewarding to see the results of your hard work, so most importantly, relax and garden with a smile! It is the best therapy!

Happy Gardening!