Summery pleasures!
June is the month for roses, so if you have space, consider buying a container-grown one to plant straightaway. Your best choice could be the thornless Zepherine Drouhin, an old climbing rose whose exquisitely scented, deep pink flowers bloom well into September.
To plant, loosen the roots and spread them out horizontally in a wide, deeply-dug, compost-filled hole, 20-30cm away from the intended support.
Replace the compost and firm in, ensuring that the stem's grafting point comes just above ground level.
As the briars grow, fan them out wide along a fence or trellis, or spiral them around a column so some roses will bloom low down; tie in gently here and there with strong twine. If trimmed, this rose can make a good hedge.
June is also the time to sow sweet peas out of doors. Don't soak the seeds beforehand, just sow them in very fine soil and keep well watered for the first few weeks. They'll need support for their tendrils to curl round.
Perhaps intermingle them with roses.
Tasty treats
Carrots are an excellent vegetable to grow if you have an open, sunny site and good soil. June sowings avoid the carrot fly pest that can devastate spring-sown crops. Follow the instructions on the seed packet, keep well-watered and, as the carrots grow, thin out crowded ones as necessary.
Very small, new carrots have a unique and deliciously sweet taste. Let children help to harvest them and then have a whole one to eat, either lightly scrubbed and raw and with the leaves still attached, or briefly simmered with part of the tops still on. Perhaps sow coriander seeds (cheapest from Asian shops), either indoors or in a sunny spot outdoors.
They will produce leaves, flowers and seeds in three months, showing the whole life cycle.
Seasonal jobs
Remember to pull up all weeds while they are still tiny. It's difficult to weed around sprawling courgette and pumpkin plants without damaging them, but you can suppress weeds by covering the surrounding soil with cardboard or black plastic held down with stones.
Prune spring flowering shrubs and climbers as the flowers finish.
Cut runners off strawberry plants unless you need them to produce more plants.
