Jobs for the week

1. Going spare

Sow a row of foxgloves and hollyhocks in spare ground. Thin seedlings after they emerge. Move them to their flowering positions in the autumn.

2. Making the cut

The Chelsea Flower Show is a good reminder to cut back by half herbaceous echinaceas, heleniums, Phlox paniculata and goldenrod. It prevents them growing too leggy. Pruned plants will be bushier with more, albeit smaller, blooms.

3. Sow the seed

Make your garden groovy with California poppies, nasturtiums and pot marigolds. Grow them from seed and they will flower in 12 weeks. Sow outdoors, thin seedlings to 10-15cm apart and stake tall varieties in the early stages of growth.