June is a month when the growth on plants begins to mature. The exuberant plant development of April and May has generally slowed and it is a good time to take stock of your garden and plan what you would like to change next year. Most of all, though, it is a time to enjoy the long days and warmer evenings outdoors.

I used to work in a large garden where my neighbour, the garden’s propagator, used to be up at 4am throughout May, June and July, tending his vegetable garden for four hours before starting his day job. Few would go to those extremes, but the longer days certainly provide an opportunity to keep on top of all those outdoor jobs.

Here at Standen, June is the last of the really busy weeding months – if you can stay in control of the weeds throughout spring, the rest of the year becomes so much easier.

It’s also the time to start removing the dead or dying foliage from bulbs; this is best done once the leaves are completely dead, which for most varieties is about six weeks after the flowers have faded. To do this any sooner removes goodness from the leaves before it has had a chance to be reabsorbed into the bulb.

In the kitchen garden you can continue to sow quick turnaround crops such as lettuce and radish, and you can even plant French and runner beans early in the month, for a crop later into the autumn. With the risk of frosts hopefully behind us, those more tender plants, such as bedding and tropical specimens, can now be planted outside.

It’s also the time to prune spring flowering shrubs, including camellias, rhododendrons, flowering currants and many more. If possible, remove the dead flowers or seed heads at the same time to promote good growth for next year.

A particular highlight at Standen in June are the wildflower meadows, which are home to thousands of butterflies and a host of other insects, providing a source of nectar for our honey bees. Why not come and see them!