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Monty Don explains the benefits of hand weeding, demonstrating how to keep unwanted weeds at bay.all year round, particularly springMore advice on dealing with weedsHow to hoe effectivelyMaintaining a healthy lawnDealing with brambles

Train cucumbers and prune back sideshootsPick off flowers on coleus to maintain their colourful leavesWater tomatoes regularly to prevent fruits from splittingTake cuttings from fuchsias, coleus, pelargoniums, marguerites and other tender perennials

you want them to form autumn hipsTrim lavender immediately after flowering to maintain its shape, but avoid cutting back too far into old woodHoe weeds regularly to prevent seedlings establishingTrim conifer hedges, evergreen hedges and topiary

lots of organic matterPrune lavender to maintain its shape, and take lavender cuttings by pulling off sideshoots and inserting them in trays of gritty compostCollect seed from border perennials and store in a sealed container in a cool place

Wash greenhouse glazing to let in maximum lightBring potted cordylines under cover for winterInsulate your greenhouse with bubble polytheneMaintain plant hygiene, picking off faded blooms and dead leaves from all plantsWater plants more sparingly

Maintain a lawn mowerWith just a few regular checks you can get the most from your petrol mower and reduce the time it takes to maintain a beautiful lawn. Simply spend a couple of minutes every month looking over your mower to keep it in peak

growing from the framework of espalierPick fresh herbs for dryingPick gooseberries, currants, strawberries and other fruitsFruit & vegTrain cucumbers and prune back sideshootsPick off flowers on coleus to maintain their colourful leavesPinch out tomato

back flowered shootsFlowersCover soil with cloches to warm it for early sowingsFinish winter pruning fruit trees and soft fruitsCut stems of autumn-fruiting raspberries to soil levelFruit & vegPlant summer bulbsMaintain frost-free conditionsBring pots

of the plant to be repotted by placing it in a bucket of water. Cover the drainage holes at the base of the new container with pieces of broken clay pot to maintain good drainage.Add a 2cm - 3cm layer of pebbles or gravel to the base of the pot to allow

used to maintain a very small garden in south London where somebody had planted one. It had wandered off along the chain link back fence and had colonised every garden for about fifty yards. It was so thick that I could safely walk along it, but nobody