Spittlebugs

Water long and deep, preferably in the early(ish) morning or evening.

Watering lightly is possibly worse than not watering at all, as it brings roots close to the soil surface where they will dry out quickly in hot weather.

Should you be planning to go away over summer, prepare the garden by mulching plants well, especially young trees and shrubs and small plants which are more vulnerable to lack of water.

The best mulches are organic. Try pea straw, compost, woodchips and even long grasses. Sow basil directly into the soil, or plant seedlings outside. Basil likes plenty of sun and moisture – preferably water should be applied to the soil, not the leaves. They are considered a good companion plant to tomatoes.

Keep sowing small quantities of vegetables, such as beetroot, lettuces, peas, radishes, spring onions to ensure continuity of supply. At this time of year, lettuce and coriander do best somewhere shaded from the midday sun.

Early potatoes may be ready to harvest. Check by burrowing your fingers into the base of one of the plants and feeling how big the potatoes are. (This is known colloquially as bandicooting.)

Prune rosemary, saving some of the sticks for summer bbq kebabs.

The chances of courgettes and cucumbers getting powdery mildew will be reduced by planting somewhere with good airflow (but out of cold winds) and by watering the soil, not the plants. Watering lightly can sometimes be worse than not watering your plants at all.

Wisteria shoots should be cut back to 30cm. Now is also a good time to prune other climbers, if space is at a premium.

Sow anemones for winter flowering.

Feed roses with general fertiliser or a compost mulch after the first flush of flowering and keep up water during dry periods as root dryness causes unsightly, and sometimes damaging, mildew.

Prune spring-flowering shrubs (not azaleas or rhododendrons) to just below the flowers after flowering is over.

Repot orchids once they have finished flowering.

Notice little blobs of foam on your plants lately? Fear not, it’s just the working of the spittlebug nymphs, who make bubbles out of a liquid they secrete. They then cover themselves in it to guard against predators and temperature extremes – it also helps keep them dehydrating. They suck out tiny amounts of sap, which rarely harm the plants.

Wash them off with a spray from your hose if they worry you. Or make an organic spray.