Jobs to do this June

1. Pots & baskets

   For the prettiest pots, baskets and window boxes, keep them well watered and feed twice a week with a high potash plant food, such as Flower Power. Remove any finished flowers to tidy them up and stop them going to seed.

2. Support plants

   Stop the flop by giving taller growing plants some support. Simple frames can be bought from garden centres, but for some plants a simple frame of netting on a frame can do the job just as well.

3. Herbs

   For the best flavoured herbs, pick them early in the day when they are fresh, not wilting from the summer heat. Regular picking helps the plants grow bushier and encourages lots of very tasty, fresh, young leaves.

4. Lawns

   For a great looking lawn, mow it twice a week during the summer. After mowing, use a pair of edging shears to tidy up the edges. If possible, feed your lawn once a month with a professional lawn feed, like Lawn Magic to help produce a stronger, healthier and even greener lawn.

5. Clematis

   Clematis are best grown with their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade. Grow plants at their base or add a layer of compost or bark chips to help provide this shade, which keeps their roots cool and moist. The other secret with clematis is to keep them well watered and well fed.

6. Fruiting veg

   Fruiting vegetables – including tomatoes, peppers and aubergines – are easy to grow in pots on a sunny patio. For best results, feed them regularly with a high potash plant food, such as Flower Power, once the first fruits begin to form. When growing tall growing vine or cordon tomatoes, pinch out sideshoots regularly to get the best crop.

7. Fruit trees

   Wait to thin apples until after the ‘June drop’. Pears only need thinning if fruit set is very heavy. Thinning helps improve the size and quality of the crop, and can prevent biennial bearing – where a good cropping year is followed by a poor one.

8. Rhubarb

   Harvest rhubarb stems until the end of the month/early July, and then stop until next year to give plants time to build up their strength for the following year. Mulch with well-rotted manure and water during prolonged dry periods.

9. New trees & shrubs

   Ensure newly planted trees and shrubs do not dry out; anything planted this year is prone to drought stress. Also check shallow-rooted plants, such as rhododendrons, camellias, hydrangeas and heathers. A good soaking every 7-10 days is best.