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with developing fruit for nutrients Earth up soil around emerging potato shoots, which encourages higher yieldsSow seeds of the following crops outside this week: radish, spring onions, coriander, parsley and chives

gaps in spring borders

Plant hippeastrum bulbs for spring displaysInsulate your greenhouse with bubble polythene for insulationVentilate greenhouses on warm, dry daysUse rainwater to keep the compost of potted azaleas constantly moistCheck fuel levels in paraffin and gas

on trained forms of gooseberry back to two or three budsSow the following crops in pots or trays in the greenhouse, ready to transplant outside later: Brussels sprouts, spring cabbage, cauliflower, onions, leeks, lettuce and salad leaves

Watch Monty Don's video demonstration of how to plant a yew hedge, with advice on drainage, planting distances and mulching.spring or autumnMore advice on plantingPlanting a bare-root rosePlanting a shrubBare-root plantingPlanting a bare-root tree

Mow your lawn regularly from spring onwards to encourage healthy, lush-looking grass and to deter weeds. When the grass is growing strongly in summer it will need to be mown at least once a week; but during periods of drought leave it uncut

While you can't take cuttings from rhododendrons, there is a much simpler technique you can try - layering. Do it over the summer and by the following spring you'll have the beginnings of many new rhododendron plants.Established rhododendron plant

Summer pruning wisteria encourages the development of short-flowering spurs that will carry the long racemes of bloom in spring. The long vigorous shoots are cut back to a couple of buds from the base of the current season's growth. During initial

Leaves and sometimes stems are marked by dark blotches caused by a fungus. The spores overwinter on fallen leaves, stem lesions and bud scales, and reinfect the plant the next spring when there's a flush of new foliage. If these leaves

Aptly named blackspot is a fungus that causes dark spotting on rose leaves and stems. Eventually, leaves turn yellow and drop off before autumn. Spores overwinter on the fallen leaves and re-infect the plant in spring when new foliage appears