Your June Garden Checklist – Keeping Your Irish Garden Thriving

The warm weather is finally here, and your garden is bursting with life before it slows down in July and August. June can be a busy month for gardeners, but with a few simple steps, you’ll have everything under control and plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Keep Your Garden Hydrated

Even here in Ireland, we can get some dry spells in June, especially in the east. Watering regularly is key – think borders, bedding plants, pots, hanging baskets, and even the lawn. Make it part of your daily routine while the weather stays warm and dry. View our watering equipment here. 

If you have a greenhouse, don’t forget to keep it moist, too. Spraying the paths and staging inside will help maintain humidity, keeping your plants happy and healthy.

Support Your Growing Plants

Many perennials and taller annuals will need staking now to prevent them from collapsing in the wind. Taller plants like delphiniums and sunflowers especially benefit from sturdy garden canes and soft plant ties that stretch as the stems grow, avoiding damage.

Propagation Time

June is ideal for taking softwood cuttings from non-flowering shoots. These can be dipped in rooting hormone before potting up to grow your own new plants, saving you money and expanding your garden effortlessly.

Also, dividing perennials that have finished flowering, like lungwort and primulas, will keep them strong and full for next year. Gently prise apart clumps with garden forks and replant the fresh sections.

Training Your Roses

Keep on top of your climbing and rambling roses by tying in new shoots as they grow. Use flexible plastic plant ties rather than string to avoid breaking over time. Spreading the stems out evenly helps encourage lots of flowers and keeps your rose bushes neat and healthy.

Harvesting and Growing Veg

June is the month when many vegetables are ready to harvest — spring onions, early potatoes, lettuce, peas, radishes, and more. After harvesting, clear the beds and enrich the soil with fertiliser before sowing your next crop of salad vegetables or beans.

Don’t forget to water your young vegetables regularly and keep weeds down with a hoe.

Enjoy Your Homegrown Fruit

Strawberries are starting to ripen now, especially those protected in greenhouses or under cloches. Pick them carefully with a short stalk to keep them fresher for longer. Rhubarb, redcurrants, and gooseberries are also ready for picking.

Protect unripe fruit from hungry birds with lightweight garden netting – a simple way to ensure you get the harvest, not the wildlife.

Preparing for Autumn

While summer has only just begun, June is a good time to prepare for the months ahead. Lift spring-flowering bulbs like tulips and hyacinths to store in a cool, dry place for next year. Meanwhile, you can start sowing late summer bedding plants and early winter bedding like pansies and primroses to keep colour in your garden well into autumn.

Final Tips

  1. Keep watering during dry spells, but try to water in the early morning or late evening.

  2. Use canes and soft ties to support tall plants and prevent wind damage.

  3. Take softwood cuttings to propagate new plants.

  4. Harvest vegetables and fruit on time and prepare soil for next sowings.

  5. Protect ripening fruit with netting from birds.

At Lenehans, we stock everything you need—from watering equipment and garden canes to plant ties, fertilisers, and netting—to keep your garden thriving through the ever-changing Irish weather.

Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, and happy gardening!