Monty Don loves to update fellow garden lovers on top jobs to carry out each month of the year – and June is no different.
In this month’s instalment, the expert has listed several gardening jobs to do in June, but one of them should be done “daily”.
The 68-year-old urged gardeners to deadhead and prune their roses this month to “prolong flowering”.
Deadheading is the removal of finished blooms in order to encourage further blooms and improve the appearance and shape of the rose.
He said: “Deadheading roses is really worth doing at least once a week- and preferably daily – in mid-summer.”
Throughout the blooming season, and very often after each significant flush of flowers, gardeners will find that whole clusters will show signs of wilting or fading – this is when it’s time to remove the lot.
When gardeners are deadheading, they are “effectively pruning and thus stimulating fresh side shoots which will bear new flower buds and therefore extend the flowering season”.
Deadheading also stops the plant from developing seed and so “increases the chance of repeat flowering” as seed always takes precedence from the plant’s supplies of nutrients and water.
So how do you deadhead roses? Well, just pulling off the old flower heads “will help” but there is a better approach, claimed Monty.
He said: “By far the best approach is to use a pair of secateurs and to cut back to the first leaf below the spent flower. A new shoot will then grow from this point.
“Of course, some roses, especially the species bushes, have glorious hips in autumn and these will only develop if the flowers are allowed to set seed and fruit, so enjoy the flowers as long as they last and then wait for the autumnal display that they will produce from their fruit.”
Deadheading isn’t a difficult garden task and can very effectively be done just a little at a time.
Taking care to wear protection like gardening gloves, bringing along an adequately sized bucket and deciding on which method to go with is all you need to keep in mind.
Do it little and often, and you can be sure of strong blooms and a fresh appearance for many flowering seasons to come.
