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to encourage early fruitingStart sowing seed of summer bedding and crops that need a long growing season to mature, such as pelargonium, petunia, verbena, salvia, lobelia and begonia

Prick out petunia seedlings once they've developed two true leavesSow French and runner beans in pots Put up greenhouse shade netting if the sun is out and conditions are hotPlant up hanging baskets and patio pots with summer beddingBuy young plants

Nemesia plants produce a haze of flowers throughout the summer, and with the pale-gold felt leaves of the helichrysum, a soft cloud-like effect is created. Helichrysum grows happily in sun or part-shade and is ideal for brightening up a dull corner

and petunia with 12 per cent.Yes, the result did surprise me, as although I do grow winter pansies I probably wouldn't have put them at the top of my list. Having said that, if I'd been allowed to vote for the best winter bedding plant then I don't think

There is a tendency among some gardeners to look down their noses at bedding. They sneer at the humble petunia, cock a reproachful eyebrow at a tumbling lobelia and positively guffaw at any sign of a begonia. I admit that I used to share

It's performance that matters when it comes to bedding, and top of my list for the past few years have been New Guinea Impatiens. In dry summers of the past the top spot might have been taken by pelargoniums, trailing Surfinia petunias, verbena

Are you snowed under with seed catalogues? It seems that even before the summer stutters to an end we have to start thinking about next year.I don't usually grow much in the way of annuals in my garden (apart from dahlias and poppies, of course

'. This is a half-hardy annual from central Australia, and is heat and drought tolerant, as you'd expect of plants from this part of the world. 'Joey' grows to about 30-35cm tall and produces glorious feathery, silvery-pink plumes. I've never grown anything

-3m during the summer.I still love patio favourites like petunia, verbena, pelargonium and fuchsia, but am always on the lookout for something new. New Guinea impatiens have become a favourite for shade, and I always choose a selection of foliage

. Don't overlook ornamental grasses, which can lift a border into the designer league. And don't forget to grow a few spare plants in pots, so you can slot them into gaps that may appear in a scheme.A diverse choiceAlso known as montbretia