Gina Parkinson looks at jobs to be done in the June garden.

IN VIEW of the weather we have had so far this month, watering has got to take priority - if there is only time to do one job, make it this one.

Containers, hanging baskets and window boxes will need watering at least once a day, with smaller pots and those in a very hot sunny spot requiring attention morning and night.

If slow-release fertiliser wasn't mixed into the compost before planting, feed should be added to the water. This will keep the plants healthy and more able to keep flowering the whole summer.

Seedlings also need regular watering and, unlike the more mature plants in summer containers, have no resources to help them survive a day or two of neglect. Placing them in a shady spot will slow down any drying out but daily watering is the only way to keep growth steady. Newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials will also need a helping hand, as will recently laid turf.

Primulas that have finished flowering should be lifted and divided this month. Pot the divisions up into separate plant pots, water, label and keep in a shady spot until autumn when they can be put back out into the garden.

Watch out for vine weevils - the larvae seem to like primula roots.

The tell tale signs are notched leaves where the adult has been feeding and/or poor growth, an indication of root damage.

Remove the plant from its pot and check for brown headed white grubs and poor root development. Squash any grub and, if the plant is worth saving, wash the roots and pot up into new compost.

Chemical and biological controls are available from garden centres and DIY stores if needed.

Tulips can also be lifted this month. It is best to wait until the foliage has died back after which the bulbs can be removed from the garden and stored in a dry place until planting time in November or December.

In flower-beds, stake tall perennials such as delphiniums and hollyhocks by using canes for individual flower stems or by pushing twiggy prunings from shrubs and trees into or around the clump.

The branches from coloured stemmed cornus, which are cut hard back each March are very useful for this job.

Updated: 09:40 Saturday, June 12, 2004