June in the garden and around the home

Mowing and watering the lawn

Cut the lawn once a week through June and raise the mower blade slightly if the weather turns dry, because longer grass shades its own roots and needs less water to stay green. An established lawn rarely needs watering in a normal June: one that has gone brown from lack of rain usually recovers within days of the next proper downpour. New lawns, and anything laid or seeded this spring, are the exception and need a thorough soak once or twice a week if rain doesn't come.

Leave aerating (spiking or coring the lawn to improve drainage) and scarifying (removing dead thatch) for spring or autumn, when the grass is growing hard enough to recover quickly from either job.

Deadheading and keeping borders tidy

Deadheading, removing spent blooms, keeps roses, bedding plants and many perennials flowering for longer, because a plant left to set seed puts its energy there instead of into new buds. Check borders every week or so and snip off flowers as they fade, rather than saving it all for one big tidy-up at the end of the month.

Hedges, nesting birds and pruning

Check a hedge for active nests before you cut it. Bird nesting season generally runs from March to August, and it's an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to disturb a nest that's in use, so a quick look through the branches first is worth the couple of minutes it takes. If the hedge is clear, June is a reasonable month for a light trim on fast-growing species such as privet or leylandii, which may well need cutting again before autumn.

Watering priorities in a dry spell

If June turns dry, water containers and hanging baskets first, since they hold the least soil and dry out fastest, then anything planted within the last year. Shrubs, trees and hedging that have been in the ground more than a couple of seasons can usually go without, drawing on roots that reach well below the surface.

Checking gutters and paintwork while the weather holds

Dry, settled weather makes June a sensible time to check guttering for leaves and debris left over from spring, and to look at exterior paintwork on fascia and soffit boards for peeling or cracking. Repainting or repointing lasts longer when it's done in dry conditions, so any jobs pushed back by a wet spring are worth picking up now.

If May's tasks are still outstanding, the May guide covers what should already be done; July's jobs, including summer pruning, are set out in the July guide.