Camellia japonica

All Regions

June is a quiet time in cold gardens and most plant growth is at a standstill. In the winter rainfall regions the rain has arrived and the soil can be sodden and gardening unpleasant; but in the subtropical regions the temperatures are perfect for gardening.

Visit your nursery this month to select your early-flowering Camellia japonicas as they will be in bloom. For an extended flowering period, also select some varieties that flower later, in August and September. Continue to water your existing plants regularly and mulch the soil with acid compost and bark chips. If you wish to trim your camellias, do so after they have finished flowering. 

Plant hardy perennials now, as their roots keep on growing in winter and they will be well established by summer.

Camellia japonica Jurys Yellow

Keep your clivias a bit on the dry side, as this will initiate flower spikes.  In cold regions protect them with a frost cover and thick mulch around their roots.




In the warm subtropical regions, water and mow your lawn when necessary. In the winter rainfall regions mow kikuyu lawn once a week and buffalo grass about once every 14 days. In cold regions Kikuyu lawn will be dormant and only needs to be watered every three weeks. Remember to water your shade or evergreen lawns weekly as they continue to grow during winter. Remove winter grass, Poa annua from your lawn and beds before it sets seed. June is a good month to service your lawnmower and get all your pruning equipment ready to prune next month.

Lilium bulbs are available this month and must be planted immediately as they don’t have a long shelf life. Select only plump, healthy looking bulbs. Mulch their roots to keep them cool and protect the delicate new growth from severe frost. In very cold regions, put off planting liliums until spring, or plant them into containers and place them in a warm and protected place. Protect young plants from snails and slugs; eggshells placed around the base of your plants will help to deter them. If mole rats are a problem plant your liliums in containers. Water your bulbs deeply about every four days. Established clumps in the garden or in pots can be can be lifted and divided now, but remember that they resent disturbance and can be left undivided for up to 5 years.

Viola blue

Continue to water and feed your winter bedding plants and bulbs and apply thick mulch around their roots to protect them from excessive rainfall and frost. Pick your sweet peas regularly and feed every 2 weeks with an organic 3:1:5. Remember to water your winter and spring flowering plants regularly.

June is the best month to transplant conifers. Spray them with Wilt-Pruf before moving, this helps to prevent shock during transplanting. Remember to treat your conifers for the cypress aphid during the winter months and water them deeply every ten days.

Roses that are growing in the wrong place can be transplanted from May to July; these are also great months to plant new roses and to re-pot container grown plants. Prepare the planting holes first adding lots of compost and some bone meal, and allow the soil to settle before planting. Cut the bushes down to about half before gently removing them. You will sever anchoring roots but this is unavoidable, and the reason transplanting is done while the plants are dormant. Prune of any damaged roots before re-planting. In the summer rainfall regions water your established rose bushes about every 10 days. In the subtropical regions roses can produce flowers till September but it is best to encourage a period of rest in the winter by reducing watering and not feeding.

July is the best month to transplant deciduous trees and shrubs that are growing in the wrong place, so have a good look at your garden now, and prepare the new planting holes this month, so they can settle before planting. Add lots of compost and a generous dressing of bone meal, when planting.

Move indoor pot plants away from cold glass windows and doors and keep them away from cold draughts.  Mist spraying their leaves often with tepid water and placing them in drip trays filled with damp pebbles will help to increase humidity around the leaves; this is especially important in dry inland areas and in heated rooms.  Water with lukewarm water and feed your winter flowering pot plants regularly with water soluble 3:1:5.

Vegetables: Pick your peas continually to encourage new bud formation; try to keep the peas off of the ground by placing twiggy branches along the rows. Developing broad beans will need to be tied to supports. Mound the soil up around developing onions if they are lifting from the ground. Jerusalem artichokes should be ready to harvest and can be lifted gently with a fork. Prepare deep holes with lots of organic matter to plant asparagus, rhubarb, globe artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes and chives; but remember that perennial plants like these need separate beds where they can grow un-disturbed for several years. In cold regions the seeds can be sown in spring but in warm regions it is best to sow in late summer or autumn. 

Broad Beans

Subtropical Regions
In these regions the weather is brilliant in June so make the most of the wonderful temperatures by getting stuck into the garden. Your bougainvilleas should be thriving, as they love the dryer months.  Make sure that they receive full sun and don’t get over watered by sprinklers in the garden. Once established they do not need to be watered at all and will flourish on natural rainfall.  Bougainvilleas growing in pots will have to be watered, but allow them to dry out totally between watering.  Feeding potted plants occasionally with an organic 3:1:5 will encourage deeper colouring of the bracts.

It is very important to allow your roses and other summer and autumn flowering plants time to rest in mid winter, by not feeding them and watering less.  Prune your ixoras now; if you prune too late the plants will produce fewer flowers next season. Re-pot your water lilies and clean your water features. Prune your container plants lightly and feed with organic 3:1:5. Lift and divide your agapanthus now, bearing in mind that they will produce few flowers if you split them into very small pieces.

You can still sow and plant flowers like antirrhinum, calendula, chrysanthemum, salvia, stocks, pansy, viola, petunia, marigold, aster, impatiens, cineraria, begonias, snapdragon, delphinium, ageratum and alyssum.  Antirrhinum, stocks, pansies and violas will flower for much longer if they are well-mulched.

Continue to plant out vegetables like baby marrow, cucumber, tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli. Sow salad vegetables like lettuce, parsley, radish and spring onions; as well as beetroot, carrots, Swiss chard, leeks, beans.

Dry continental Region
If you have completed your tasks for April and May, June should be a quiet month in the garden. In the drier parts lavender looks glorious at this time of the year.  Consider planting hardy varieties for fragrance and flowers. Store your hosepipe where it is protected from frost and bind water pipes with strips of hessian to protect them from freezing. Watering correctly during very cold weather is vital. It is necessary to keep your plants alive, but over watering or watering at the wrong time can be fatal.  Established evergreen shrubs only need a thorough soaking about every 10 days in winter and deciduous plants much less. Watch the weather report in winter to see if a cold front is on the way, and never water the day before a cold front hits. Wait until it has passed; then water thoroughly and deeply, early in the morning. If your plants are hit by heavy frost, hose the plants down with cold water before the sun hits them, to minimise damage.  Brak soils must not be kept too wet during winter, as saline will build up, making the soil useless for cultivation after a few seasons.

Do not prune evergreen shrubs and trees at this time of the year.  All those branches and leaves help to protect your plant. Do not prune your roses until the end of July or early August.  It is however, a good time to plant new roses. Roses hate brak conditions, so install a rain water tank to store up rain water next summer.

Veggies like broccoli, beetroot, and cauliflower that were planted out in early autumn should be ready to be harvested about now. Other hardy crops include spinach, parsley and leeks and onions. If garlic is planted now it will form large cloves by mid-spring.

Summer Rainfall Regions 
If you have completed your tasks for April and May, June should be a quiet month in the garden. Watering correctly during winter is very important and in all the regions you should be watering less. The secret is to water deeply when you do, but less often. It is necessary to keep your plants alive, but over watering or watering at the wrong time can be fatal. Established evergreen shrubs only need a thorough soaking about every 10 days in winter and deciduous plants much less. Water your bulbs deeply about every four days. Watch the weather report in winter to see if a cold front is on the way, and never water the day before a cold front hits. Wait until it passes and then water thoroughly and deeply. Water in the mornings during winter, this allows the plants to dry before nightfall. If your plants are hit by heavy frost, hose them down with cold water before the sun hits them; this will minimise damage. 

It is still not too late to plant well-established "instant colour" seedlings of Iceland poppy, primula, pansy, phlox, snapdragons, sweetpea, sweet William, schizanthus, alyssum, cornflower, carnation, cineraria, delphinium, dianthus, nemesia, penstemon, foxglove, gazania, larkspur, lobelia, verbena and violas. You can still sow seed of Virginian stocks and Namaqualand daisies. Remove any spent blooms on your annuals to keep them flowering for longer. 

You can do a final sowing of broad beans and peas if you are in a temperate region or have a warm sheltered spot. Watch out for black aphids on your broad beans. Plant out broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage and sow some true spinach, kale, radish and turnips.
 

Winter Rainfall Region
In this region the winter storms have arrived, so ensure that all your drainpipes are unblocked and look at possible drainage solutions, to implement in summer. Remove any dangerous overhanging branches that may fall on walls, roofs etc and remove broken branches. Treat any slippery pathways with a moss killer and cover your compost heap with a plastic sail to prevent it becoming water-logged. Make sure all your young trees and standard plants are securely staked.  Remove excess fruit from citrus trees to prevent the branches from becoming too heavy and breaking during heavy rains. Feed your Kikuyu lawn with an organic 2:3:2 fertiliser or Bladerunner. If snails are a problem, try Ferramol Natural Snail and Slug Bait. This product is safe to use around pets and children. If aphids are still a problem, spray with Bioneem.

Lachenalia bulbs should be blooming, so feed them regularly. Nemesias are indigenous to the Cape and if planted out now, will provide a stunning spring display. They are available in all shades of blue, orange, pink, red, yellow and white. Plant Bokbaai vygies now, they are indigenous and will give you brilliant colour from August to October. You can still plant flowers like alyssum, aquilegia, bellis perennis, begonia, snapdragon, calendula, carnation, pansy, viola, lobelia, primula, ornamental cabbage, Shirley poppy, delphinium, dianthus, foxgloves, godetia, gazania, nicotiana and viscaria.

Plant a final crop of broad beans and sow some peas, lettuce, leeks, onions, parsnip, radish, turnips, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and cabbage.