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Replenish gravel and grit mulches around alpine plantsPut slug barrier products around the tender new shoots of hostas and perennialsDig plenty of compost into heavy clay soilsCut down marginal plants around ponds, and mulch with compost or bark

to reduce the spread of diseaseCheck dahlia tubers and bulbs in store for signs of rotPick off fading or diseased leaves from pelargoniums and other plantsContinue ventilating the greenhouse on warm daysCut down chrysanthemums after floweringPrune dormant

Clear leaves from greenhouse guttersCheck heaters daily to ensure they are working efficiently and that fuel levels don't need topping upPick off dead flowers and leavesWater overwintering plants such as pelargoniums sparinglyWash glazing inside

Plant canna lilies in pots, and leave in a warm positionSow strawberry seeds, including alpine varietiesVisit garden centres to buy young bedding plants that can be grown on to a larger size under glassCut off dead hippeastrum flowers, but allow

Keep lawn edges trimmed by cutting with a half-moon edging toolLook out for cabbage white butterfly eggs and rub them off with your fingersRemove blanket weed from pondsFeed hanging baskets and patio pots every weekPrune fast-growing hedges like

immediatelySow sweet peas in pots for early flowers next summerTake cuttings of succulents such as sedumsMove potted peaches and nectarines under coverBring pots of late-flowering chrysanthemums into the greenhouseStop watering pots of achimenes, gloxinia

around border plantsCut down annuals, add the material to the compost heap and fork over the bedsLay new lawns from turfStart to plant tulips in pots and bordersPile bark mulch over the crowns of hardy fuchsias to provide extra protection

when outlined by frost.Cut back the fennel to the soil each year in late winter or early spring, otherwise it could shoot up to 1.8m tall.More ideas for summer colourGrowing summer-flowering plants to attract bees.Choosing plants for late-summer colour

and pot up for new plantsGive shrubs and perennial plants a liquid feedCut down delphiniums once flower spikes fadeFlowersPick gooseberries when ripePrune bay trees to keep them in shapeSpray apples and gooseberries with a fungicideFruit & vegHang up

of spare time.Wash out flower pots and seed trays Trim back climbers that are close to gutters and windowsTest the pH of your soil with a kitAround the gardenCut back overgrown honeysuckle Pick berried winter shrubs, flowers and evergreen leavesPlant bare