Protect new and established plants by mulching the soil between them with composted bark, cocoa shells or another ornamental mulch. This will not only look attractive, setting off the surrounding plants, but will reduce annual weed growth and conserve soil moisture. Always mulch over moist ground, never on to bone-dry soil, so be sure to water well first if necessary.

Mow it at least once a week, twice if possible, and finish by cutting the edges neatly. Feed lawns, if this hasn't been done already, and treat any weeds and moss. The clippings can usually be mixed into the compost heap, but remember to discard them for the first few mowings after applying weedkillers.

Keep up the battle against problem weeds, making sure you remove any flowering stems before they have a chance to set seed. Many can be removed by hand, digging deeply to get out every last piece of root, or some chemical treatments can be effective. Larger areas can be cleared by smothering them with a large sheet of black polythene, left in place for many months.

Weed rockeries and replace gravel mulches, watering if the soil is dry.

Some trees and shrubs have a habit of producing unwanted shoots from their base, or from the stems of those trained as standards. I regularly see these growing around rowan trees and in my garden <PLANTID=1184>Cornus controversa 'Variegata'</PLANTID> produces a thick crop of plain green shoots from the base. Cut these cleanly away with secateurs to prevent them sapping strength from the plant.

Cut out plain shoots growing on variegated shrubs. Summer is the best time to prune away any unwanted green shoots.

Take action against the following pest problems immediately: sawfly on gooseberry leaves; whitefly on tomato leaves; greenfly on rose shoot-tips and flower-buds; red lily beetles on lily leaves; sawfly caterpillars on Solomon's seal; and red spider mite on greenhouse crops.