As spring turns to summer keep an eye on lawns. We have had a number of hot dry spells in the early summer in recent years and if this happens again one of the best things to do is to raise the cut height of mowers to avoid stressing the grass. If you have naturalised bulbs in grass, the foliage should have died back and fed the bulbs, so start mowing these areas again. Edging lawns will help to keep them looking neat.

Variegated shrubs like Euonymus will be in full growth now and you’ll be able to see branches where the variegation has reverted. Cut out all stems where foliage is all green (or indeed all yellow or white) leaving just those where the variegation is as you want it.

June is an ideal time for planting out tender plants including summer bedding and tender crops such as cucurbits and Sweetcorn. Make sure that you keep all new plants well watered until they settle in.

Watering pots in sweet corn bed

In the fruit garden, remove runners from strawberry plants to focus energy on the setting and swelling fruit. Similarly, after the “June Drop” thin apples and pears to encourage the formation of better quality fruit. If you have a heavy set on plum trees, then also thin out the plums to reduce the weight on branches.

Tomatoes will now be growing on strongly, so keep pinching out side shoots in order to foster a strong central stem to transport water, nutrients and sugars around the plant.

Side shoot for pinching out

Pinched out