Early Summer Flower Garden Tasks: Feeding, Staking, Dividing, and Pest Control

Feeding

Pot plants repotted in early/mid-spring have used much compost nutrient — start regular liquid feeding now unless they need repotting. Feed hippeastrums and other growing spring bulbs. Prizewinning sweet peas: liquid feeding works wonders, though good winter trench prep may make it unnecessary. Light-soil lawns: half-rate powder feed on moist soil, watered in — little and often for sandy/'hot' soil. Cacti: only if not spring-repotted, then once every 4 weeks. Border peony = early summer personified.

Staking

Most staking done, but border carnations develop floppy, long flowering stems soon. Light support = better display, but don't tie rigidly to buds — they lose charm. Stake freesias if not done.

Tying and Training

Continue tying chrysanthemums, dahlias, delphiniums, lilies, sweet peas as they grow. Watch other tall plants that may look sturdy but aren't. Sweet peas in warm gardens may start flowering stems late early summer — watch for embryo buds at stem tips, else you'll remove them as side shoots.

Early and late chrysanthemums need stopping; violets need de-runnering (parent flowers less otherwise). Remove runners with maximum stem.

Dividing

Polyanthus, auriculas, primroses → divide in early summer. Plantlets at parent crown sides → split with roots, replant shady until autumn, then to flowering positions.

Bearded irises → lift after flowering, divide every 4–5 years or they crowd and flower poorly. Now = new root growth time. Dig up, keep young rhizome, discard old center. Replant rhizome just below surface (little above okay). Bonemeal at 120 g/m² (4 oz/yd²) pre-plant helps roots.

Weeding

Continue hoeing/weedkiller. Duckweed (tiny light-green floating leaves in groups) and blanket weed (dark green hair-like submerged strands) may start in pools. Chemical control impossible — damages cultivated plants. Frequent raking all season needed. Goldfish and freshwater winkles eat blanket weed.

Routine Work

Mow, deadhead (unless saving seed), water outdoors (don't forget freesias) and greenhouse, build compost heap. Greenhouse: well ventilated and damped down.

Pest and Disease Treatment

Greenfly and capsid persist. Caterpillars: velvety green on delphiniums, sawfly larvae on Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum). Leaf-miner = new pernicious pest — minute larva, surprising damage. Maggot hatches in leaf tissue, feeds making winding pale tunnels or brown blisters. Leaves wither completely; chrysanthemums and cinerarias hit hard. Potted plants = little resistance; ground plants suffer less. Remove/destroy affected leaves, spray remainder with insecticide.

Flea beetles on seedling/young wallflowers → insecticidal dust precaution. Symptoms: small round leaf holes, tiny hopping dark beetles. Whitefly (moth-like) terrible on greenhouse fuchsias if kept too dry/hot. Red spider mite on most greenhouse plants — feeds on sap (mainly leaves), makes webs. Hand lens shows light red round adults on leaf undersides.

Damping down greenhouse = pest control + cooling + humidity. Mealybug = greenhouse dweller, likes hippeastrums but not averse to others. White fluff blobs = suspect, likely contain bugs feeding on sap.

Rust fungi on hollyhocks, antirrhinums, pinks, carnations. Not as widespread as insects but very damaging where they occur — early leaf fall, stunted plants. Symptoms: raised bright brownish-red spots on leaf undersides, easily missed until late. Grow resistant varieties, avoid crowding, hand-pick diseased leaves, follow with fungicidal spray.