Gardeners urged to do ‘essential’ June gardening job for ‘long-lasting’ blooms
June is a great month for the garden, with lots of flowers beginning to bloom. To make these blooms last, gardeners must do one task.
June is the peak season for many garden flowers in the UK. Flowers in bloom include petunias, geraniums, roses and salvia. Having such flowers in the garden also means it’s peak deadheading season in June. Removing faded blooms keeps plants tidy, but it also helps them last longer and repeat-bloom.
According to an expert, deadheading is “essential” for “long-lasting blooms”. James Ewens at Green Feathers said: “June is the month of the bloom when gardens begin bursting with colour. For long-lasting blooms, deadheading is essential.
“All you need to do is remove faded flowers from bedding plants, roses and summer perennials to encourage plants to continue producing new blooms rather than focusing energy on seed production.”
According to the expert, sweet peas should be picked regularly, while containers and hanging baskets benefit from weekly feeding to keep displays healthy and vibrant.
It’s a job that takes just a few minutes every single day, but James said that “a little deadheading goes a long way”.
Deadheading isn’t necessary for all plants, but careful removal of spent flowers on certain plants will be incredibly beneficial and rewarding.
Other plants to deadhead include petunias, one of the most common summer plants. Gently pluck the spent flowers off as you see them every few days.
Geraniums are another popular annual plant that blooms all summer with striking clusters of multiple bright flowers. If you don’t deadhead these, they’ll turn brown and get mushy.
To deadhead geraniums, use sharp shears to make a cut at the base of the flower stalk.
If you grow a reblooming variety of rose, June is a great month to start deadheading to stimulate the next flush of flowers. Use clean, sharp shears to remove spent flowers just above the first set of five or more healthy leaves.
Salvia is a popular perennial for its abundant flowers, which attract pollinators and put on a great show from spring onward.
To keep these blooms going well into the summer, June is the time to start deadheading. This will also help gardeners manage to keep them under control.
To deadhead salvia, wait until about two-thirds of the blooms on a flower spike have turned brown, then make a cut where the stem meets the highest set of leaves.
