The odd thing about the early summer, is that you have to think about your garden in terms of what to remove rather than what to plant.
Weeds are, as you might expect, growing at a rapid rate. It is time to fight them now, but you must accept that you can never win. The only thing you can do is stave off invasions, but not eliminate the invading forces.
In this article, I have gathered from various gardening experts about weeding. It is, however, important to accept that you must weed your outdoor space if it exists.
There must be low-maintenance options …?
There are many ways to reduce the amount of work you have to do in your garden. Plant mainly perennials, grasses and shrubs so you won’t need to start from seeds, pot them, prick the plants out, then dead-head, and dig the garden up at the end. Choose plants resistant to droughts so that you don’t have to water as much. Here is more information about Low Maintenance Garden Plants.
Mulches can be used to cover the ground. The use of mulches such as gravel, pebbles and pavers in addition to garden compost, weed-suppressing horticultural fabrics, and even garden compost will help reduce the growth of weeds. This is especially true during the first months following their installation.
Perennial weeds, however, will always find a way to get around any obstacle. Birds or the wind can drop annual weed seed. These seeds settle over the mulch and grow.
Even two fake lawns that were in the front gardens of houses near me had weeds. The other was an enormous bramble. The ‘lawns,’ if you will, are only a few decades old.
Weeds are just like taxes and death, they will never leave us. Especially in the early summer.
Hand weeding and hoeing is the best way to weed. The chemicals used in sprays can cause them to drift on other plants.
Pull it up if you find one. Wait until this weekend and there will be ten of them.
Early summer is the best time to thin out your self-seeding.
Self-seeding plants are my favorite. I save a lot of time and effort. This time of year the garden is full with self-seeders such as euphorbias, wild gladiolis and cerinthe. Next month, poppies will be followed by crocsmias and lychnis coronarias.
Self-seeders can take over the space occupied by plants that you have planted. All of them are now large enough. It is easy to tell which one belongs to which. Early summer is the best time to thin out your plants, particularly around plant that are hungry like roses.
It is always a great pleasure to have a new plant in my yard. It makes me feel bad to pull out plants that self-seed.
If you let them crowd out your dahlias and roses, they will disappoint later. I’m sure. I’ve done it.
Spreaders ‘…
In some cases, perennials spread so quickly that it seems as if they are taking over the entire world. My garden has Euphorbia Robbiae, Iris Sibirica, Japanese Anemones, and Day Lilies. A month ago, there were some gaps along the border. There is now a sea of daylily and euphorbia foliage interwoven.
This is a beautiful plant, but it’s encroaching on other plants.
The time is now to remove healthy plants. If you want to have something to admire from July, this is when to do it. Frances Moskovits explains to perfect your border. Her border is amazing and she keeps it in good shape by cutting back or removing plants.
Tips for gardening the remainder of the year
The tour includes spring gardening advice. Here are some gardening tips to help you get started in the early summer. is a professional guide for late summer.
See Your Feel-good November To Do List and Your Autumn Gardening Strategy for autumn gardening tips. Winter tips are available at What not to Worry About in Winter. Winter Damage to Shrubs is also useful in the event of a sudden storm.
Planting to Benefit Wildlife
The plant for wildlife by Jane Moore is a great resource for those who want to create a more wildlife friendly garden while maintaining the look and feel of an old-fashioned garden.
Jane, for instance, says it’s important to be realistic. She says gardening organically involves allowing pests in the garden which attracts predators that eat them. She warns, ‘but manage your expectations’. Your organic garden may have daisies growing in your lawn or holes in the leaves.
Her garden is a wooded glade. The areas closest to her house are more tidier and well-managed. She allows the garden to become more wild as it gets further away.
The book is readable and practical, as well as being pretty. It would make a great gift. Jane, who is a head gardener by profession, knows exactly what she is doing and how to get the best results. She also has a great way of explaining it.
Planting for Wildlife is available from either the Amazon Middlesized Garden store, or the publisher Quadrille. Please note that Amazon links are affiliate. This means that I might get a fee for your purchase, but this does not affect the cost. The links on this page are affiliate.