It's time to...

Spray water or an insecticidal soap solution regularly under new leaves of rhododendron and azalea (above) to prevent damage by sap-sucking lacebugs

Cut lawn on a low setting once a year, in spring, to remove thatch (dry organic material), then raise the mower height back to its usual setting, ready for the next mowing

Prune blossom trees after they have flowered to improve their shape and prevent unwanted fruit forming

Apply soil wetter and a layer of mulch to pot plants to prepare them for the hot weather in summer

Trim tatty dracaena leaves with scissors or hedge shears, and take stem cuttings from overgrown plants

Prune spring-only blooming roses, such as banksia roses, as soon as they have finished flowering

Feed gardenia plants with a general purpose fertiliser that contains both magnesium and iron

Take some softwood cuttings of geranium, fuchsia, calibrachoa and New Guinea impatiens

Move potted ferns and other sun-sensitive plants into shadier spots for the coming summer

Train new growth on ornamental climbers, such as clematis and wisteria, onto supports, and trim back over-zealous shoots