Weekly jobs

●Keep new plants well-watered in dry spells to keep them strong and make them less susceptible to disease.

●Mow the lawn once a week if it’s growing, but in spells of hot, dry weather keep the blades high and leave clippings on the lawn to retain moisture.

●Prune early-flowering shrubs such as Kerria japonica and Spiraea Arguta, which finish flowering on wood that was produced the previous year.

●Keep on top of weeding and pay particular attention to pernicious weeds such as bindweed and ground elder.

●Prune pyracanthas that are trained against a wall, cutting out shoots growing directly into or away from it. Shorten the others to about 8cm, which encourages the formation of short spurs that bear the flower buds and berries in autumn.

●Prune Clematis montana once flowering is over.

●Snap off spent tulip heads, but leave the foliage intact for about six weeks, which will enable plants to redirect their energy back into the bulb.

●Plant out marrows and courgettes when all danger of frost has passed.

●Remove runners from strawberries to preserve the plant’s energy.

●Pinch out the tips of broad beans when they flower to discourage blackfly.