June: Dirt Therapy

June. The month when the sun tries to linger a little longer, my Croc sliders make their seasonal debut, and gardeners everywhere emerge from their winter hibernation with sharpened Secateaurs. My old friends are coming back! And this is the best year ever for my Rose Arch! (See above)

Dirt Therapy at Its Finest

This is the time when everything really starts to grow. Seeds are sprouting, flower beds are thriving, you weed, you water, and you wonder. I love gettmng back into the thick of it. A happy moment in the garden will seed ten thousand more.

So - Here are some June gardening tips!

• Water deeply, not daily. Roots want to stretch, not sip.

• Mulch like you mean it. Keeps moisture in and weeds out.

• Deadhead your flowers. It sounds violent, but it just means snipping off old blooms to encourage new ones.

• Watch for pests. June is when bugs decide your garden is a buffet. Be vigilant.

Last June, I planted sunflowers - partly for the bees, partly for aesthetics, and mostly to show off on Instagram. I was feeling smug. My Sunflowers were growing tall, turning their happy little faces to the sun, and everything was right in the world.

Until the squirrel came.

This squirrel had biceps. I swear it was doing pull-ups on the Rose Arch in the moonlight.

Every morning, I’d walk out to find another sunflower down, its decapitated head staring up at me from the soil. I tried everything. Coffee grounds, cayenne pepper, motion-sensor sprinklers, even a strongly worded note. Nothing worked. The squirrel remained unfazed and, dare I say, smug. I was soon down to one sad little sunflower, leaning like a survivor in a post-apocalyptic film. I named him Kevin. Kevin made it, barely. But I learned two things:

1. Never underestimate the destructive power of a single squirrel.

2. June may bring life, but it also brings drama.

Despite the squirrel saga, June is still one of my favourite months. Dandilion wishes arrive like tiny fairies. My plants - and my spirit - are growing stronger.

So get outside. Get dirt under your nails. Plant something weird. Laugh when it doesn’t go as planned. June isn’t about perfection - it’s about participation.

And maybe invest in some squirrel-proofing. Just in case.

Happy June, fellow garden warriors. May your blooms be bountiful and your squirrels be merciful. 🐿️🌻

This months song if you can be bothered: Sugababes - Stronger

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