Featured in the July 2009 handbook.

- Prune flowers

Pinch out the growing tips of basket and container plants to encourage them to produce bushy even growth and lots of flowers. Encourage chrysanthemum shoots to branch out and carry more blooms by pinching out shoot tips from June to early July. This technique is called stop.

- Sow seeds

Biennials, such as foxgloves, sweet Williams, Canterbury bells and forget-me-nots, should be sown as soon as fresh seed is available.

- Pests and diseases

Use a forceful jet from a garden hose to knock aphids off water lilies and other garden plants. Spray roses to protect them against problems with mildew, blackspot or rust.

Divide bearded iris Lift and divide bearded irises once they have finished flowering. Remove any dormant sections from the centre of the clump, and replant the fresh new shoots.

- Summer bedding plants

Finish planting out summer bedding plants in borders, baskets and containers. Fill gaps with large Argyranthemums, Fuchsias or Pelargoniums.

- Cut down early-flowering perennials

Remove faded flowers on perennials such as Lupins and Delphiniums. Early pruning often encourages a second flush of flowers late in the season. Cut the flower-spike down to just above a new shoot or leaf, and give each plant a generous liquid feed to encourage fresh growth. Remove the seedheads from aquilegia to prevent them from spreading.