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couldn't ignore it, could I?I've continued to sow seeds, although keeping the soil moist is so tricky when it gets very hot. I wonder if the seeds will germinate. To help them along I've created slightly deeper seed drills than usual, each with a drizzle

, above) I'd recommend sowing fresh seed in March/April in a warm greenhouse or on a windowsill.When it comes to self-seeding, this generous verbena usually obliges each summer. Just let the seed fall from plants where they grow, and with luck you'll enjoy

imported topsoil, then tried (and failed) to sow a lawn from seed.I watched the evolution of the plot from courtyard to garden as more and more creatures visited it - blue tits and great tits, a robin, blackbird, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, slugs

to pests and diseases, and (most importantly) much quicker to crop.This is where they become exciting: aubergines are normally quite tricky to grow. They're best raised in a warm greenhouse, and if you sow seed later than March, you’re in danger of losing

the chitting seed potatoes, seed trays, pots and propagators. It also forces me to throw things away. So, out go the weird, wonderful and unused gadgets. Out go the seed packets that I've kept for years on the assumption that I might one day sow the contents

, nibbling U-shaped notches out of the edges.Pick off the beetles by hand and destroy.broad beans, peassummer, autumn, winterMore advice on growing peas and beansKeeping capsid bugs away from beans.Watch Monty's video demonstration on sowing pea seeds

Collect and sow seed from foxglovesTake cuttings from pinks (Dianthus)Prune philadelphus after flowering, removing stems carrying old flowers. Cut out very weak stems and some of the oldest woodFeed dahlias with a liquid fertiliser and ensure plants

to supportsClip box hedging and topiary to keep it neatFlowersSow a few seeds of salad leaves every 2-3 weeksPlant out crops being raised in pots under glassCover soft fruits with netting to prevent birds eating themFruit & vegTake cuttings from pelargoniums

an explosion of flowers the next year.Compost your kitchen and garden wasteTop up water levels in garden ponds if they are getting low Push canes in around tall plants like gladioli and lilies Around the gardenCollect and sow seed from foxglovesTake cuttings

.Prepare soil ready for sowing a lawn or laying turf during September and OctoberTop up water levels in pebble fountains and poolsDeal with problem lawn weedsAround the gardenSave seed from ornamental annual quaking grassWater camellias regularlySummer prune