ADVICE & TIPS

Annual weeds produce thousands of seeds. They are carried in the wind, by people and animals and each seed develops into more weeds. To break this cycle, don't ever allow annual weeds to go to seed. With all this hot weather it would be a good idea to increase the amount of time you spend watering the garden. And don’t forget to feed the plants and lawn with suitable feeds.  The best time to pick flowers from your garden is in the early morning. For longer lasting arrangements, use ...

Time to clear up beds and enjoy the bulbs! Ways to Kick start the Vegetable Patch • Hoe winter-dug beds to remove weeds and debris, then rake in all-purpose fertilizer to prepare for sowing next month. Asparagus is a perennial and needs its own patch – sunny, sheltered and extremely well-manured. • Plant onion and shallot sets with their tops just under the surface to stymie foraging blackbirds. • Dig a trench 5in (12cm) deep and line it with well-rotted organic matter bef...

Now the soil is warming up and the garden is beginning to look green and vibrant, it is time to prepare for the growing season. Plant out second early potatoes in the first half of the month and maincrop potatoes in the second half. Improve the vigour of border plants in need of a boost, especially roses, with general-purpose fertilisers such as Growmore or Vitax Q4, then mulch with a thick layer of well-rotted manure or home-made garden compost. • Get a head start by sowing te...

The Chelsea Chop In the third week of this month you can 'Chelsea chop' your summer-flowering perennials to delay their flowering times. Sedums can be cut back by two thirds to provide lusher foliage, but at the expense of flower. 'Matrona' (the sturdiest pigeon-grey and pink sedum of all) responds well, as does 'Purple Emperor' - the best of the dark-leaved sedums. Reduce the front stems of phlox, heleniums and all yellow daisies, leaving the back two thirds alone. That way any drying f...

Turn and dampen your compost often. Flies will breed in the grass clippings if you do not turn it regularly. Mulch your shallow rooted shrubs (rhododendron and azaleas) to keep the roots cool.Remove suckers from Roses, azaleas, camellia, rhododendron and other trees and shrubs as they appear. 

Colourful sticks or pegs (Golf Tees even!) can be stuck in the ground to mark the location of dormant plants such as spring bulbs or perennials.Keep tall flowers staked and cut out dead flower stalks.Disbudding chrysanthemums produces larger blooms. Most mums, except spray types, respond well to disbudding. All prolific flowering plants will benefit greatly from this easy task.Since container-grown plants have a limited area from which to absorb water, plants in a sunny location may requ...