The constant gardener

Looking good

• Cut back whip-like new green shoots on wisteria to five or six leaves. Letting more light in allows the wood to ripen and helps next season’s flower buds form.

• Keep camellias and rhododendrons well watered to ensure next year’s buds develop. Mulching with pea straw or compost will lessen evaporation from the soil.

• Trim lavender plants after flowering to keep them compact and stop them getting woody.

• Scatter annual seeds around for an autumn display. The likes of bishop’s flower, calendula, candytuft, lobelia, marigold, petunia, phacelia and dwarf sunflowers should do well sown now.

• After they have flowered, give native grasses a groom by combing through the leaves with fingers or a rake to remove loose and dead pieces. Do