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Apply liquid seaweed to plants that are heat-sensitive to strengthen roots and help them survive heatwaves

Sink dried-out pot plants into a larger container of water and allow to soak until bubbles stop rising

Prune New South Wales

Christmas bush, and remove dead flowers from Victorian Christmas bush (Prostanthera lasianthos)

Pot up cuttings of your favourite pelargoniums and geraniums (below) such as ‘Big Red’. Keep them in a lightly shaded spot until they’re clearly making new growth, then pot up

Liquid-fertilise plants such as bromeliads and clivias that are growing under trees

Give established poinsettias an all-over trim to encourage bushiness

Continue deadheading roses to promote more blooms and maintain their good looks

Cut back long wisteria stems to curb their rampant summer growth

Throw old sheets over any vulnerable plants when heatwave weather is predicted

Place a 20cm-wide band of sticky tape, with the sticky side out, around the trunks of elm trees to trap migrating elm leaf beetle grubs

Walk through the garden every morning to check for new plant growth, and to squash aphids

Use a garden fork to loosen dry, compacted soil, then follow up by sprinkling with a soil wetter

Check your chooks have access to drinking water and a cool spot to retreat to during hot spells

Rig up temporary shade to protect new plantings, especially when hot weather is forecast

Take finger-length cuttings from shrubs, and use them to grow new plants

Mow the lawn and tidy the garden before you go away, so the place looks loved and lived-in

Provide support stakes for tall-growing plants such as sunflower, delphinium, dahlia and hollyhock, which are easily damaged by wind

Check that all the soil in your garden beds is covered with plant material or mulch

Remove side buds from tuberous begonias, leaving only one showy, central bloom

Cover ripening seed heads with porous drawstring or paper bags to collect desirable seed before it drops