To reduce the need for watering and weeding continuously throughout summer, keep applying mulches to bare areas of your beds and borders. Using your own rotted down compost is always good; just remember to give the soil a good soak with water first before applying the mulch. This also makes space in your compost bins for your grass clippings and those autumnal leaves.

Roses sometimes produce ‘suckers’ from their rootstocks, these are easily identifiable by having lighter foliage and should be removed. Try removing them by trying to pull them out, as by cutting them back the suckers are more likely to re-grow.

On the subject of roses, those of you that have climbing and rambling roses, keep them tied in regularly, otherwise they will become unmanageable and will trail across all your other plants in the borders. If you can tie them in as near horizontal as possible the better, as this increases the number of flowers produced.