Is there anything I can plant in mid-June?

[newgarden722]

I’ve got a lot of empty beds in my garden and really want to fill them, but work is really busy at the moment and I won’t have any time until mid-June. Are there flowers and shrubs that are ok to plant at that time or have I missed the planting “window” for this year? I’d really rather not go another year with empty beds if possible. Thanks!

As long as you water well pretty much anything will survive. I’ve often bought the reduced plants at this time. With a little care they revive and flower all summer.

I'd probably put off buying expensive shrubs until autumn, to be on the safe side.

Thank you! Errol - when would you buy and plant new shrubs? Around late September time? Sorry if this all sounds very obvious - I’m totally clueless about gardening but am hoping to become less so!

That sounds about right - when it's cooler. Here's the RHS advice

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=237

Personally I just plant stuff whenever I want to plant and just make sure I water well.

If you just want to fill the space for the summer, something like cosmos looks great and will flower right through to autumn. Most garden centres are selling small plants at the moment, but it's also not too late to grow from seed & they are very easy. Then, as Errol says, think about more permanent planting in the autumn.

Morrisons are great for shrubs/climbers/perennials. Lots of choice for £1.79. Good plants ime. Water in well and keep an eye on progress/ water in the evening if it's a dry spell.

If any are lost it's not as painful as losing a £15+ specimen

If any are lost it's not as painful as losing a £15+ specimen

Yes, that's my reservation re shrubs. A lapse in watering - eg if you are on holiday and the weather turns any combination of hot, dry and windy - could be expensive.

I'd see if I could get some biennial plants in eg foxgloves so that they can self seed for more plants next year.

Watering the garden on a summers evening after work, maybe doing a bit of deadheading and pulling the odd weed is, IMO, just about the best way to wind down.

Great, thank you for the advice everybody.

Cosmos look gorgeous, thank you - I will keep an eye out for some of those!