The June GAP
Whether you define the first day of summer as June 1st by the meteorological calendar or opt for the astronomical date of June 21st, June is the month when summer officially begins in the UK. But with the exuberance of spring blossom and bulbs over, and the intensity of late summer flowers yet to come, we gardeners are often faced with the June Gap.
June has a lot going for it. Clematis, roses and jasmine clothe our fences and trellises. Foliage is fresh and vibrant. But as early flowering perennials start to fade, the garden can start to look slightly jaded. So, what can be done to rejuvenate the borders at the peak of the season?
Climbing Rose Summer Wine
Freshen up your borders
Once the first flush of blooms on hardy geraniums, astrantias and Ladies Mantle have faded, the flowering stems and foliage can be cut hard back, close to their crowns. Water them well with a potassium-rich, soluble feed, and within a fortnight, fresh, new leaves will start to appear, with a second flush of blooms later in the season. The borders will immediately look fresher, and once cleared, the bare soil surrounding their crowns will provide much-needed high summer planting opportunities. Plugging these gaps with bright annuals or half-hardy perennials will give the garden a new lease of life.
Dahlias, Canna Lilies or Ornamental Ginger – Think big, be bold
If you fancy a touch of drama, why not introduce dahlias, canna lilies or ornamental ginger? If planting these large root balls into heavy clay soil proves too difficult, you can plunge the plants into the borders in black plastic pots. These will soon blend in, once the surrounding foliage grows up around them. Then, at the end of the summer, you can lift them out and store them somewhere dry and frost-free until next spring.
The English Cottage Garden – Summer stunners
If the English cottage garden is your favoured style, cosmos is a must. Whether you like the white form – Purity is the best – or vivid magenta Dazzler, deadhead them regularly, and they will reward you with flowers right through until the first frosts. Tithonia is another fast-growing stunner; its single, orange, daisy-like flowers are loved by bees and pollinating insects. Buy these in 9cm pots, and plant them into the ground, in groups of three or five, depending on space. They will soon bulk up to make substantial plants. Better still, make a note for next year to grow them from seed in April.
As well as creating visual appeal, flowering plants are essential for attracting pollinating insects into our gardens, at a time when pollen and nectar are in shorter supply. June is a good time for butterflies, so herbs such as thyme provide a rich food source for small tortoiseshells, whilst whites and brimstones favour catmint and lemon balm. Painted lady butterflies lay their eggs on borage, its edible blue flowers a traditional garnish to Pimms.
Shrubby salvias
Shrubby salvias come into their own from mid-summer onwards; firm favourite Hot Lips will flower for months, but I love bright red Royal Bumble and pastel Peach Melba. Another firm favourite, with a long flowering season, is the zingy geum, pure sunshine in every bloom. Evergreen heucheras offer a rich tapestry of colour too, but don’t overlook their seemingly insignificant flowers; solitary bees and hoverflies love them.
Butterfly-friendly Erysimum Bowles Mauve – I wouldn’t be without it – flowers for months on end. These high summer fillers have got a lot of work to do, so sprinkle the planting hole with some blood, fish and bone fertiliser, or an all-purpose granular plant food.
Erysimum Bowles Mauve
Wild and Wonderful Flowers
Self-seeders are a must in the high summer garden, creating a hazy, lazy mist of colour throughout your garden’s borders and paving. The dainty pink and white, daisy-like flowers of erigeron karvinskianus, loved by bees, will bloom all through the summer, seeding itself in every crevice and crack. Meadow valerian, with its wafting, cream umbels, is an ideal food source for pollinators, self-seeding freely in your flowerbeds, an attractive companion to ornamental grasses and thalictrum, from June to September.
Ornamental Grasses
Another effective way of bridging the mid-summer gap and extending the season is to plant ornamental grasses amongst your existing perennials. Amongst low-growing grasses, my favourite grass is Carex. Ground-hugging evergreens, they come in a myriad of forms. From cool green and white Everest, the chartreuse fountain-like Everillo, to green and yellow Evergold, these versatile grasses add structure and movement throughout the year. What’s more, they are relatively drought-tolerant and can take sun or shade. What’s not to like? For the prairie look, try tall willowy calamagrostis Karl Forster, panicum Heavy Metal or stately miscanthus. These deciduous grasses look great in the winter if they catch the frost and provide food and shelter for insects and small mammals. Simply cut them back in early spring, being careful not to damage any new shoots.
With some judicious planting now, you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labours all summer long, as well as providing food and shelter for the wildlife around you.
