Search - Articles

Raise new mint plantsIf you're already dreaming about sipping a cool mint julep in your summer garden, now's the time to get your mint plants ready for the job. Take cuttings from established mint plants to keep the drinks tray supplied all summer

- and nothing could be fresher.Cut out any plain green shoots on variegated shrubs and treesTreat moss and weeds in lawns with weed killerHoe bare areas of soil to prevent weedsAround the gardenPlant gladioli in groups to depth of 10-15cmComplete outside sowings

Shape box topiary Clipped box topiary adds style, elegance and fun to the garden. It can be grown as individual trained geometric shapes and standard specimens in borders or large pots, as well as dwarf hedges or edgings. To keep topiary in shape

and moisture, and you'll soon enjoy statuesque plants heavy with cobs.Give wooden furniture a faceliftCut back climbing plants that are hanging down Empty, mix and refill compost bins Around the gardenPlant out tender summer-bedding plantsLook out for aphids

with more of your favourite plants for free.Add lawn cuttings to the compost heapMow and edge your lawnTie stems of tall perennials to supportsAround the gardenKeep baskets and patio pots wateredSpray roses to protect them from pests and diseases

and then simply slide the plants into their growing positions as soon as space becomes available.Pick dead flower-heads off rhododendrons and azaleasFeed lawns with a liquid or granular lawn fertiliserScoop floating weed out of garden ponds with a net

them neat, then shred and compost the clippingsTop up compost or bark mulches around heathersHoe and hand weed bordersAround the gardenSummer prune wisteriaWater hydrangea bushes Take clematis cuttings or layer new shootsFlowersShorten sideshoots

and topiaryCut laurel hedgesAround the gardenMake earwig traps with straw in upturned pots on canesPrune pyracantha and train shoots to supports Prepare soil to plant evergreen shrubsFlowersPrune old fruited stems of raspberries down to soil level Pinch out

Around the gardenTake cuttings from pansies and violasPot up tender perennials grown outside Prune rambling roses after floweringFlowersFinish summer pruning trained apple and pear treesHarvest apples, pears, plums and gages as they ripenSave seeds from varieties

.Wash and disinfect bird feeders and tables Collect fallen leaves and add to a leaf bin to compost down Spread fresh gravel or grit around alpine plants Around the gardenTake root cuttings of oriental poppies Check stakes and ties are secure on trees and climbers