In your garden THIS MONTH

As the heat of summer builds, flowering plants explode into a crescendo of colour, so head outside and enjoy the riot

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Ensure all the plants in your garden are giving their best performance by keeping them sufficiently fed and hydrated. Azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias start to form next year’s flower buds from late summer; should they be deprived of water, they will give a poor show next spring. All three groups of plants prefer rainwater, as tap water tends to be too alkaline for them. Give your wisteria plants a prune towards the end of the month - find a detailed guide on page 108. Double the amount of any established bearded irises you have by lifting and dividing. Just dig up the clump, pick out the younger sections of rhizomes, trim the roots, and snip the leaves to about 15cm.

Replant them just under the soil surface in a sunny spot, and give them a healthy drink of water until they settle in happily.