Garden News | June 2026
A New Season Begins at Leonardslee
In theory, June marks the change from Spring to Summer as a new season starts to show what it can do in the garden here at Leonardslee and because Spring was three or four weeks earlier than we would normally expect it this year, the signs of early Summer are already evident across the garden and wider estate.
Rhododendrons are what Leonardslee is probably best known for and we have several specimens that flower well into June. Dotted throughout the many paths that zig-zag their way from the top western side of the garden down to the lakes you’ll find the likes of Rhododendron hemsleyanum with its fragrant white blooms for instance, the viscosum Azalea, or Swamp Honeysuckle as it is commonly known due to the unusual start-shaped flowers, and Rhododendron griersonianum with its gorgeous scarlet inflorescence. Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’ is another unusual white flowered shrub of considerable age that can be found flowering in June near the Clocktower Kitchen. We’ve recently planted two sister plants of ‘Pink Polar Bear’ as well as R. ‘James Burchett’ along Falling Walk which will also add to the late Spring, early Summer Rhododendron displays. Several other June-flowering rhodies were also planted last year in an area that has just been opened up for our visitors.
Discover the Hillside Garden
Called the Hillside Garden, we plan to open it in phases and the first area we opened up back in April has later flowering rhododendrons such as ‘Goldika’, High Summer’ and ‘Gomer Waterer’ which we encourage you to seek out soon.
As some of our feature Rhododendrons start to tail off at the end of Spring, our deciduous azaleas often take over. Although they have also been flowering earlier than usual in the upper areas of the formal gardens, down in the valley where the temperatures can be a degree or two cooler, some of the displays along the lakeside banks are truly a sight to behold. A complementary pallet of salmon pinks, oranges and soft yellows line your walk as you meander next to the water.
Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Some other fantastic June specials to look out for this year should include the likes of our Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) on the main house lawn. Planted as a replacement for a huge specimen that used to sit almost where the Faith sculpture is now but was sadly lost in the 1987 storm, this tree should be studded with pretty blooms in June, usually starting from the top down. Interestingly, it’s not called the Tulip Tree because of its flowers but actually because the leaves, which when turned upside down, resemble the classic shape of a tulip.
Our flowering dogwoods (Cornus sp.) should also be continuing their annual time in the spotlight this month. We have over 100 specimens in the garden and over 30 different types. Their delicate flowers can start in May, particularly the florida types, but June is when they really take centre stage with the large Cornus kousa ‘Miss Satomi’ down the slope from the shop building often a particular highlight for visitors. Once the flowers have finished, they’ll be followed by their unusual strawberry-like fruits so make sure you don’t miss those later in the year too. Many also have good early Autumn foliage so they really are a valuable addition to any garden.
Another exciting floral feature in the garden during June will be the explosion of Allium and Digitalis (or foxglove) flowers. Dotted around most of the beds in the upper garden areas, such as in front of the mansion for example, you’ll be able to enjoy a huge range of colours, shapes and sizes of these two plants which are both huge favourites of mine. Especially look out for some of the newer additions to the Allium collection that were planted recently including the soft pink hues of ‘Summer Drummer’, the off-white ‘Marshmallow’, the unusual wine-coloured ‘Red Mohican’ and the absolutely fascinating Allium schubertii and it’s ‘Arctic Snow’ cousin which both look positively alien!
We’re also seeing our hydrangeas show signs of blooming in certain part of the garden. The lawn below the shop and the path below the Clocktower Kitchen are two prime examples. We only finished with their annual prune back in April but due to the warm and occasionally damp recent weeks there are plenty of flushes of pink, purple, white and blue catching the eye as the these lacecap and mophead varieties also stake their claim for plant of the moment. The paniculata types will be slightly later to flower so there’s still plenty more to enjoy as we stroll through the rest of the Summer season.
Caring for the Gardens Through Summer
As the temperatures rise, the garden team will be spending an increasing amount of time on presentation standards, particularly around the mansion area, as the weeds start to grow in earnest. We try not use any chemicals if at all possible so the weeds will be removed by hand with the annuals being composted and the more invasive, perennial tap root types being burnt. The grass will really be growing as we enter June also, so the team will be getting their engines running and mowing and strimming across the site on a more regular basis now too.
June will also be when we prune a number of key trees and shrubs across the garden. Azaleas for example are generally best pruned after flowering, unless you’re carrying out hard restoration pruning work in which case it’s March, so we’ll be getting our hedge trimmers, shears and secateurs sharpened in readiness for that work in areas such as the Rock Garden. From mid-June until the end of July it will be a chance to prune trees such as Maples, Stewartia and Styrax for example. Their sap won’t be rising as quickly then and it will still give them as much time to recover and regrow before the following growth season.
Watering and Climate-Conscious Gardening
Watering will also become more of a priority in June, especially if last year is anything to go by! We’ve recently planted delicate new plants in areas such as the house borders, the herbaceous beds, our Exotic Border and the Rock Garden to name but a few. One area which hopefully won’t need as much watering though is our Dry Garden next the visitor hub building. Designed as part of our tributes to King Charles and his coronation in 2023, this border contains drought tolerant plants that should be better able to withstand a hot summer as climate change, an issue which King Charles is very much focussed on, starts to affect the way we garden.
Guided Tree Walks
There a few garden tours in June that you can book onto if you haven’t already done so: On June 10th there will be a guided tree walk from Sarah, our Senior Gardener while our volunteer-led general tours will take place on the 1st, 8th, 17th, 22nd and 29th. So as usual there is plenty to see and do across the whole garden here at Leonardslee. I look forward to seeing you all here again soon.
Jamie Harris | Head Gardener
