What to Plant in June in the UK

The gardening jobs requiring your attention in June are as diverse as the range of horticultural delights you can cultivate. From the meticulous upkeep tasks such as weeding, watering, and staking, to the more creative pursuits like designing your seasonal colour combinations, planning vegetable rotations, or even just deciding where to plant that new fruit tree – deciding what seeds to plant in June truly puts your gardening skills to the test.

An exciting variety of fruits, flowers, plants, and vegetables are vying for their place in your garden this June. Delicate daylilies, hardy beans, the lush promise of strawberries, and the rich hues of summer bedding plants – each offers their unique charm and contribution to your summer garden. But the question remains, what flowers to plant in June?

Let’s explore the summertime dance of June gardening in the UK.

It will be drier in June so it’s important to keep your garden well watered, and it should be done early in the morning or later in the evening to reduce water loss due to evaporation.

In addition, plants should be watered deeply but less frequently to encourage root growth. Don’t forget your hanging baskets, containers and window boxes, they’ll also need a good drink.

Deadheading flowers and mowing the lawn are two of the things you can do while you decide what bulbs to plant in June, and make sure you keep on top of your weeds!

It’s also a good idea to keep on the lookout for slugs and snails. Like us, they love the warm, balmy evenings and you don’t want them munching through your prized plants.

There’s a plethora of fantastic veg that can go into the ground this month so picking what seeds to plant in June might take some time. You can plant beetroot up to the end of the month, and many people say they’re tastier if the spring was particularly cold.

Most of the veg you started in seed trays or your greenhouse can now be moved outside and you can plant a whole range of veg including runner beans, broccoli, chicory, most types of salad leaves, pak choi, cauliflower, sweetcorn and spring onions.

You can even start your swede and kale seeds now for a winter crop. Swiss chard in your borders makes for a colourful – and tasty – addition to your garden and since carrots need warm soil to germinate, early June is the perfect time to get them sown.

This month, it’s all about the growing rather than the sowing where fruit is concerned. All your fruit bushes will need proper watering and you should check your netting, blackberry canes and fruit cages to ensure birds can’t get in.

You should be able to harvest your rhubarb now, and then feed the plants with well-rotted manure mixed with compost so they get stronger for next year’s harvest. In addition, overharvesting can weaken the plants, so leaving some stalks is recommended to ensure the plants’ health for the next year.

There’s an amazing variety of beautiful blooms so deciding what bulbs to plant in June could take some time!

Limnanthes, otherwise known as ‘Poached Egg flowers’ for their yellow and white flowers, are the perfect summer bloom. They’re a hardy annual and will last all the way to the first frosts. Nasturtiums are colourful and very easy to grow.

If you’ve got containers, the daisy-like Coreopsis are low maintenance and beautifully bright. The dainty pinks and whites of Cosmea can grow up to two metres tall and flower in late summer or early autumn. They’re also great pollinators.

One of the most beautiful flowers in your summer garden are daylilies. The oranges and reds of this perennial add a serious splash of vibrant colour to your garden, and they’ll become fully established over the winter and bloom brightly the following summer.