This Month in Your Garden - June

"It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside."  - Maud Hart Lovelace,  

What a contrast to the end of April. There we were wrapping up warm and looking out for tender plants. Now we can think about planting out the dahlias, summer bedding and plants raised from seed. What about some fast growing hardy annuals such as Clarkia, Godetia and pot marigolds – Calendula, which can be direct sown for late summer colour?

The Lawn Care Guide - June

Now is the height of summer

With successive mowing you’ve reduced the cutting height, according to growth, to the summer height of cut. If you have an ornamental, high maintenance lawn you could give it a light top dressing of top soil to help keep the lawn smooth and reduce thatch.

The dry weather calls for watering and lawns need a good soaking that really penetrates the soil, not a light water that only encourages shallow rooting grass. Water thoroughly once or twice a week, depending on how hot it is, and preferably early morning or evening. Only really pampered grass will escape the browning, scorched patches with the sun at its hottest but the lawn will recover. Don’t though, confuse browned areas with one of the lawn’s enemies, brown patch fungus, which is ring-like and appears when it’s hot and humid. Water the area once a week and apply a lawn fungus control every other week for about six weeks.

Lawn Care: Questions and Answers

Q. Is it true that returning clippings to the lawn encourages thatch to develop?

The Vegetable Plot - June

Water, water, everywhere...

Once you’re certain the frosts have passed you can plant out outdoor tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, sweet corn, French beans and runner beans. For many of us, tomatoes will be a favourite to grow either in the greenhouse in beds and soil/compost that has been changed annually, in grow bags, or outdoors. When planting outdoors give them the sunniest spot possible and stake well. Plants should be about 15-23cm/6-9” tall with the first flower truss appearing.

The Big Glut Recipe - June

Asparagus, goat’s cheese and smoked bacon quiche

Make your own pastry or you can buy ready made short crust pastry.

Ingredients
For the pastry:

• 250 g plain flour 
• 125 g unsalted butter 
• 1 egg 
• 1 tsp caster sugar 
• 2 tbsp water 

For the filling:

• 2 rashers of thick smoked back bacon, finely chopped 
• 100 g of goat’s cheese 
• 300 ml double cream 
• 200 ml of milk 
• 4 medium eggs 
• Salt and pepper 
• 6 sprigs of asparagus
• 30 g butter
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan