June; Smart plants and smart phones

There is a question I dread above all others...

"I have just been to the garden centre and spent a fortune! Look - what do you think?"

A split second of hesitation, deviation or repetition spells disaster. 

"Well, it's, it's, it's very...colourful". I can't win. "What do you mean? Are you saying you don't like it? What's wrong with it? I know you don't like it..it took me ages, I can't believe it!".

The wound has been inflicted and bang goes the glass of wine and next year's Christmas card.

The trouble is that all too often and in fits of enthusiasm merry gardeners speed off to smart garden centres. Buoyed up by fine weather and images of Monty Don fresh in their mind from last nights telly they proceed to spend the equivalent of the GDP of Norway on plants.

Further discussions with enthusiasts I have wounded ( who are probably still in therapy because I now remind them of their cruel Sunday school teacher ) will reveal that I am not against garden centres or enthusiasm. It's just that an understanding of a plant is vital to their success. So..... 

• find out where the plant actually comes from (not just B&Q). If it is from semi-shaded woodland (foxglove) or open chalk downland (Viburnum opulus) or the wet, acidic hills of China ( Camellia ) or the stony slopes of Crete ( Euphorbia c. wulfenii) you will have all the clues you need. Smart phones are brilliant for this.
• check the label as to how big the plant will grow, but more importantly how QUICKLY the plant will grow. My little Pieris has hardly done anything for years but the giant Bay is now a prime candidate for the chop.
• Think about your neighbors - not just the ones over the fence who may have their precious evening sunlight blocked out in a few years time by your monster shrub but also the plants in your garden surrounding your new purchase. Will they compliment, smother, clash or contrast them? It is not so different from cooking when choosing ingredients.

So - having rained on your parade for your plans for the w-end, please do go for it but it will never be "instant". It never is in gardening.

General gardening tasks for June;

• Prune spring flowering shrubs such as Deutzia, Philadelphus, Kolkwitzia and Weigelia. This will allow for plenty of new growth in the coming year.
• Trim Box, Yew and evergreens such as Viburnum tinus to get the shape you want. ( Yew is one of the few evergreens that can take a very hard prune).
• Now the frosts should be over you can cut back the more tender plants like Penstemon and Caryopteris.
• If the weeds are getting you down then buy a Dutch hoe (mine has a super-long handle) as you can get through a lot of work very quickly without bending down.
• It is still time to sow some annuals directly into the ground to fill out those gaps (Calendula). You can also crunch up and scatter seed heads that have ripened such as Aqualegia and any others you can spot.
• Mow your lawns but you risk doing more harm than good if you set the blades too low; it will suffer in dry spells
• Some plants, including trees may producing growth that no longer has that variegation that you paid so much for. Just prune out those sections out.

And of course the most important task in June is to pick your first home-grown or pick-your-own strawberries, sit back and taste the difference - because they really ARE different. 

As some of  God's little creatures who got there first will testify.