• Dead-heading  flowering plants to keep them in flower
• Liquid feed in the greenhouse, vegetable plot and flower garden
• Prune sideshoots on gooseberries and redcurrants back to four leaves to encourage next year’s buds.
• Sow parsley now for a winter crop
• Harvest first-early potatoes

• Prune grape vines by cutting back non-fruiting laterals to five leaves and fruiting laterals to two leaves beyond the fruit
• Top dress asparagus with fish blood and bone after the final cut
• Stake dahlias as you plant them out
• Divide and repot auriculas into soil-based compost
• Protect ripening fruit from the birds

With the summer in full flow there’s no better time to be looking at conserving water. You can pick up some useful tips in this article on ‘Water conservation in the garden’.

Horticultural Sundries specialists Two West & Elliott currently have some good offers including a  special offer on their Seed Sowing Set.  This includes everything you need to give your plants a good start: a dibber and widger, permanent pen marker, 50 labels, 4 bottle top roses, a magic seeder and 50 Jiffy Pots. For £11.99, saving £4.10 on the rrp. To see this and other offers go to www.twowests.co.uk

• If your tender half hardy perennials such as penstemon and lemon verbena have survived the winter, now is the time to cut them back
• Sow maincrop peas and beetroot
• Dead head naturalised bulbs to encourage good flowering in the future
• Weed borders and apply a moisture retaining mulch