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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

Deadhead flowers of lady's mantle before they set seedWater camellias to make sure they don't dry out while the flower buds are developingBuy bulbs for autumn planting including tulips, narcissus, alliums, iris and crocusTake cuttings from tender

Feed tomatoes in growing bags and pots with a liquid high-potash fertiliser Plant nerines, lachenalia and veltheimia bulbs in potsTake leaf cuttings from begonias, Cape primroses and African violetsSow winter lettuces in potsPot up clumps of chives

Take cuttings from tender perennials and bedding plants, such as verbenaSow a few pots of hardy annuals to provide early spring blooms Shade delicate plants to avoid sun scorch on hot daysDeal with vine weevil by watering pots with a solution

Take root cuttings from Japanese anemones and oriental poppiesPot up prepared hyacinths into bowls for indoor displaysPot up rooted cuttings taken in summer and early autumnPlant paper-white narcissi in potsRemove shading paint and netting to let

Take cuttings from pansies and violas Pot up tender perennials grown outside and bring under cover when cold nights are forecastPrune rambling roses after floweringGrow bulbs in aquatic baskets ready to drop into gaps in the border in spring

Take cuttings of your favourite roses Tidy borders by cutting down perennials past their bestPrune out old stems of rambling roses that carried flowersPlant new conifer hedges and evergreen shrubsClear away faded bedding plants from borders

autumnImprove soil in borders in preparation for autumn planting, digging it over and adding compostRemove and clean pumps from pondsTake hardwood cuttings from shrubs and fruit bushesSpike lawns and brush sharp sand or grit into the holes to improve

up chicory roots to force in the darkPlant new fruit trees, bushes and cane fruitsCollect seeds from garlic and chivesStart pruning apples, pears and figsTake hardwood cuttings from currants and gooseberriesSpread compost or rotted manure onto beds

Check fruits in store for signs of rot or deteriorationPlant new fruit bushes and cane fruitsTake hardwood cuttings from healthy fruit bushes, including currants and gooseberriesWinter prune fruit trees, including apples - but save plum pruning