Tasks for the month
• For a late summer show, plant colour bags of marigolds, salvia, zinnia and vinca. • Give shrubs and climbers a light summer pruning if they have outgrown their space. • Where trees are blocking light from getting to plants at ground level, remove one or two of the lower branches on a sunny day so that you can see the immediate affect and don’t remove too much. • Camellias should not be trimmed back now as they are already initiating flower buds. This also applies to spring-flowering shrubs such as azaleas and rhododendrons. • If good rains have fallen in your area, much of the fertiliser applied early in the season will have leached out; apply more fertiliser now to keep plants healthy and productive. • Indoor pot plants require more watering and feeding in summer. Move pots away from direct sunlight to avoid scorching the foliage. • Look out for caterpillars that bore into agapanthus flower buds; spray with Margaret Roberts Biological Caterpillar Insecticide.