Birds, Gardening Year, Planting, Scott, Watering, Weeding

June Gardening Jobs

In June we have the longest days of the year in the UK, which means more sun and more growing time for your garden plants. You can achieve a beautiful abundant outdoors in June if properly managed and planned. Be wary, the extra hours of light will also be helping weeds, so it’s important to keep on top of things to enjoy the best of what June has to offer your garden. 

General

garden lawn

  • Water your lawn
    • An inch of water a week on your grass will be enough to keep it from going brown. Deep watering once a week is much better than regular watering every day.
  • Control weeds 
    • Use a handheld fork to remove individual weeds from the root.
  • Plant summer beds 
    • Get your summer bedding plants into the soil so they can take advantage of the extra hours of light.
  • Check and water 
    • Check the soil around your plants regularly, digging your finger into the soil to see if there is moisture underneath. Water accordingly when the soil appears too dry. 

Plants

summer bedding

  • Protect from pests 
    • Most aphids can be dealt with using a spray bottle filled with a simple solution of water and a little washing-up liquid. This will deal with greenfly and aphids without damaging your plants. 
  • Plant out summer bedding 
    • Fill your flower beds and borders for a colourful display. Discover our selection of summer bedding plants. 
  • Grow sunflowers 
    • Now is a great time to grow sunflowers from seed; a fun project for getting the kids involved with the outdoors. 
  • Sow Nigella seeds 
    • Also known as love-in-a-mist, these unusual looking flowers can fill an area of your garden with charming blue whilst providing pollen for bees and butterflies.
  • Sow Nasturtium seeds 
    • These colourful plants are fast-growing and will quickly fill any gaps you have in your bedding. They can also be trained up trellises and arbours to provide interest at different heights. 

Animals

Blue Tit on a branch

  • Top up birdbaths 
    • Keep your birdbath topped up to provide a place to drink, wash and cool down. For birds, not your family
  • Top up bird tables 
    • This time of year most birds will be collecting bugs for their young (a bonus for pest control), but bird tables and feeders are still needed for a quick energy top-up for hard-working bird parents.
  • Avoid trimming hedges 
    • Be careful when trimming hedges as birds can be nesting inside.
  • Allow some weeds to flourish
    • Letting a small part of your lawn to grow wild will be incredibly beneficial for all sorts of wildlife. It can provide a habitat for insects which in turn will support the growth of birds. Just be sure to mark it separate from the rest of your garden to keep it in check! 

What June gardening jobs have you been up to this month? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

Scott at PrimroseScott Roberts was a copywriter making content for the Primrose site and blog. Nowadays he’s either looking at photos of dogs or worrying about the environment. He does nothing else, just those two things.

See all of Scott’s posts.

 

Animals

What is PestBye Smartlink?

The PestBye Smartlink system allows multiple cat repellers to be connected across a large area, keeping cats out of your garden without allowing them to walk a path through it.

Ordinary cat repellers will only go off when a cat sets off their motion sensors, and with multiple sensors the cat will need to set off each one for them all to be effective. With Smartlink, when a cat is detected by one sensor it sends a message to the others, setting them off after a delay to keep your unwanted visitor on its toes and cause it to scatter.

Will it scare off birds?

No. The dial on the repeller can be fine-tuned to target your specific pest, but as birds’ hearing frequencies operate on a different level to mammals this repeller’s mainly designed for cats. If anything you’ll probably get more birds to your garden without the possibility of cats being around to grab them.

How does it work?

Patent-pending RF technology wirelessly connects multiple Smartlink devices together. When one device’s sensor is activated, it emits a repelling noise/light like any other repeller. At the same time, it sends a signal through the air to other connected devices. These devices are notified of activation, and then emit their own noises after a user-defined delay.

Why choose Smartlink

With regular repellers cats come to learn that it’s their presence that sets them off. That regular action/response means they become accustomed to it, and can learn to ignore/avoid it. With Smartlink, the device connection and delay keeps cats guessing, unaware of why the other devices are being triggered. Then, they prefer to avoid the area rather than just one device. It’s a complete garden protection system!

Shop Smartlink and protect your garden

Garden Design, Garden Edging, George, How To

Lawn Edging Ideas for Perfect Borders

Borders shouldn’t be boring.

Whether you have unruly flowerbeds, weeds creeping out from the grass or simply want a designer divider, edging is a great addition to any garden. It’s easy to add a swish surround to your lawn for decoration or just to keep things in check. The hard part is choosing which option to go with. So we’ve made a list of lawn edging ideas to help you lay down the law on your lawn.

Lawn edging ideas

1. Hidden edging

When you want to hide the divide between the lawn and flowerbed or path, inground edging is best. Dig out the shape that you want and bury the edging strips in line with the surface. Roots and weeds cannot grow through, leaving you with crisp curves or straight edges to your lawn. Most inground edging is made from metal or plastic, and can be mown straight over – saving the need to strim!

Inground edging

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2. Mini fences

If you’re less excited by weed transfer and more interested in finishing off your flowerbed with an attractive surround, then fencing is worth thinking about. Low-height hazel hurdles or a pocket-sized picket fence will make an adorable addition to your garden.

3. Recycled materials

Look no further for cheap lawn edging ideas than the bin at the bottom of your garden! Recycling unwanted objects into borders is not only eco-friendly but opens up unlimited options for innovation. You can use almost anything to cordon off your patio or beds – from old glass bottles, bricks and pallets to rocks, logs and shells.

4. Wooden borders

A solid roll of wooden edging jutting out of the ground offers both protection from plants growing out of control and an appealing aesthetic. Bamboo edging is a great finishing touch for an oriental garden, while willow would suit a classic English countryside design.

Wooden border edging

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5. Plastic edging

Plastic is one of the easiest materials to bend round and create flawless curving patterns in your lawn. Sitting above ground, plastic edging strips can be slotted together to flexibly fit just the right area. A solid piece of plastic should be durable enough to keep the lawn in check and survive against weather, damp, rot – and your lawn mower. Some makes are even made from recycled materials.

6. Flat border strips

A simple way to get the flush ground-level divide of paving is with flat edging strips. Available in metal and terracotta effects, these lock into place on the ground, forming a barrier against encroaching growth on either side. Surprisingly, you can also position them in curved formation.

Flat border strips

Flat edging strips

Hopefully these landscape edging ideas will give you some thoughts for your own garden. From inground barriers to rolls of wooden borders, there are plenty of flexible options. Learn how to edge your lawn and let us know if you have any more tips or inspiration!

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George at PrimroseGeorge works in the Primrose marketing team. As a lover of all things filmic, he also gets involved with our TV ads and web videos.

George’s idea of the perfect time in the garden is a long afternoon sitting in the shade with a good book. A cool breeze, peace and quiet… But of course, he’s usually disturbed by his energetic wire fox terrier, Poppy!

He writes about his misadventures in repotting plants and new discoveries about cat repellers.

See all of George’s posts.

Alice, Gardening, How To

The lawn acts as the backbone to your garden, providing space to relax, sunbathe, play games with the kids and pets, and entertain guests. It’s important to keep your lawn in tip-top shape, to provide an aesthetically pleasing backdrop, while being sturdy enough to withstand rough and tumble. The lawn can make or break your garden, and acts as the base for any flowerbeds, trees, or features. So here is our guide to how to create the perfect lawn. 

how to create the perfect lawn

Plan out your space

Before you start sowing your lawn, you need to plan out the space it is going to fill. Consider what you will be using your garden for. If you have children, a full lawn is best for allowing plenty of space to play; others may prefer to have more patio space and features with a smaller lawn; and if you host regular garden parties, a patio and lawn combo will be perfect. Plan where you are going to have your flowerbeds, borders, patios, and any trees or features. Bear in mind that grass flourishes best with plenty of sunlight, however it is possible to grow a lawn in shady areas.

Check out our guide to garden design.

Prepare the soil

Lawns flourish best on deep, well-drained soil, so once you have you have decided on your lawn area, dig the ground thoroughly and deeply, making sure to break up any compacted soil. Remove any weeds or stones. Digging in some sand or grit will be beneficial. Rake over the soil very carefully as lawn tends to accentuate any dips or hollows. Tread over the area to flatten the soil, then rake again. 

Sow your grass

There are two options to choose from when laying a new lawn: turf or seed. Lawn turf is ready-made rolls of grass that provide an instant lawn and require less maintenance in the first couple of months. It should be moist, green, and reasonably thin; long rolls are better than shorter slabs as they don’t dry out as quickly. Try and lay your turf the same day it is delivered, but if that is not possible make sure to water well.

Check out our selecting lawn turf.

Lawn seed is a much more cost-effective option and is perfect for smaller areas, but will need a bit more maintenance to begin with. Ryegrass is great for withstanding family wear and tear and can survive shady areas, while Chewings fescue provides the perfect green lawn you see on golf greens. Choose a non-windy day and spread the seeds evenly across the ground.

Check out our guide on how to grow the perfect lawn from seed.

Maintain your lawn

The key to a good lawn is sun, moisture, and drainage. Cutting back overhanging branches can help ensure your lawn has good access to sunshine. In the UK, there is usually enough rain not to have to water your lawn, however if you wish to water it aim for around once a week, and water early in the morning so the water can penetrate the soil before it evaporates in the heat. 

To maintain good drainage, aerate the lawn every autumn and spring. You can do this by using a garden fork to make holes in the soil to allow in moisture and nutrients. Make sure to regularly remove weeds; you can use a chemical weed killer if you are dealing with large numbers. 

When mowing, take care not to mow your grass too short; the grass should be around an inch or higher, and avoid taking too much off in one cut. From spring to summer, you can mow once every one or two weeks, reducing mowing to as and when needed during the winter. 

Reseed sparse areas

If parts of your lawn have died or gone thin in areas, you can reseed to give it a new lease of life. Remove any dead grass with a garden fork or take, then take and aerate the soil underneath. Add lawn seed, flatten the ground gently and water the area frequently as it gets growing. 

If you need to replace the turf on your lawn, cut out the existing turf with a shovel, rake and aerate the soil underneath, then measure and fill in the gap with new turf. Keep watered to ensure it establishes well. 

Let us know how your lawn is doing on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!