Autumn will be more apparent now and there will probably have been frosts. Even in a mild autumn light frosts can be expected and any tender plants should be either lifted or protected.

Until recent times autumn would be well advanced by October and frosts would have ended the life of annuals and caused perennials to die back but it is no longer unusual to see roses and annuals such as cosmos at Christmas. Continue to clear up the beds and borders if you did not manage to get on top of this task last month but do consider leaving seed and berries for the birds.

Weather permitting, October should be another busy month in the garden and important tasks that are best tackled now include laying turf for new lawns on soil that has already been prepared. Continue repairing existing lawns, removing humps and bumps by cutting and rolling back the turf so the soil can be levelled. Any worn edges are best tackled by cutting out a rectangle of turf to form a clean edge with the worn patch replaced inwards where it can be re-seeded to blend with the existing grass.

If you have not already done so, consider top dressing the lawn with a special mix of loam and sand that these days can be purchased in handy bags. If you intend to sow seed for a new lawn in the spring prepare the ground now.

Continue planting spring-flowering bulbs if this was not completed in September and plant lilies and tulips now. Lift and store dahlia tubers after the first frost and sow hardy annual seed under glass. Plant out hardy biennials such as wallflowers and sweet williams for next season flowering.

October is also a month for renovating or creating new beds and borders. Lift and divide perennials that form clumps, plant out spring-grown perennials or nursery stock, and prepare new alpine beds or rock gardens. Plant or replant alpines and sow alpine seeds in pots. Reduce watering of alpines in pots and clear away old leaves and debris that may cause disease during wet winter weather. Renew the mulch of gravel or fine grit or add such a mulch to newly planted alpine beds.

Elsewhere in the garden rake up and compost leaves as they fall, check tree stakes, check that climbers are all secured, remove debris from under hedges, and take hardwood cuttings. Cut back overgrown trees and shrubs after leaf fall.

In the vegetable garden plant out spring cabbage, sow broad beans, and dig plots for next year. If you wish to grow your own garlic then now is the time to plant it. Pick apples and pears and store those that will keep. Now is also the time to renovate soft fruit canes by removing old plants, planting in tying in new ones, and taking cuttings of gooseberries and currants. Prepare beds ready for planting new fruit trees.

If you have a greenhouse clean and disinfect it before sowing hardy annuals such as sweet peas and ensure plants have protection from frost. Remove all shading, clean the glass, and reduce watering. Provide insulation in the form of secondary glazing or bubble wrap. Protection from frost can be provided by an inexpensive paraffin heater or more conveniently by an electric fan heater equipped with a “frost stat” that automatically switches on when the temperature drops – even if you are away for Christmas! Of course a fan heater in a greenhouse has to be properly installed with specially protected outdoor mains wiring.

Finally, to help cheer you through the gloomier months, plant up containers with winter-flowering plants and consider adding witchhazel, jasmine and some hellebores to your garden for winter interest.

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For keen gardeners, especially those who are in the early stages of establishing a garden, September can be a very busy month. If you have managed to obey my regular gardening maxim of relaxing in your garden since the end of the monsoon then hopefully you will now be able to find renewed vigour for the forward-looking activities of autumn.

Forget the notion of instant gardens that the garden makeover programmes suggest are possible: unless we have the kind of budget spent on a show garden at Chelsea we need to plant affordable sized specimens that will grow into the space we (should) leave for them. In established gardens too now is the time to correct mistakes, move plants to more suitable positions, divide perennials and renew the garden with new introductions.

Early autumn is a time to start tidying the garden, preparing it for next spring and summer, planting perennials and spring-flowering bulbs, and to carry out major garden projects. You may also have fruit to harvest and potatoes to lift and store.

If you have a vegetable garden as well as an ornamental one then autumn is a very busy time as ground is dug ready for next year but now is also the time to dig over ornamental beds and borders or to prepare new ones. Areas of new lawn can be seeded now if the ground has been prepared but if the planned site still has to be dug it is perhaps better to sow seed next spring or alternatively to lay turf. Now is also the time to repair existing lawns and a quality lawn will certainly benefit from application of top dressing readily available these days in handy-sized bags from AHS Direct. Reduce the frequency of mowing and make sure you do not cut the grass too short. Rake vigorously to remove “thatch” and spike to open up the soil structure before top dressing. The lawn may need feeding and after the wet summer is likely to show moss problems. You can feed and treat moss in a single operation using one of the specialist treatments available.

The very wet weather this year has meant a great deal of growth so that trees and shrubs are very much in need of cutting back. Instead of a bonfire it is far better to shred prunings that can then be mixed with lifted crops and all the rest of the vegetable matter that will be cut back throughout the garden. Sometimes it pays to leave top growth in place as plants die back to provide protection for plants and many naturalists warn against being too eager to tidy our gardens too much so that we deprive birds of seeds and berries.

The list of garden tasks for September may seem never-ending but the important ones include shredding and composting herbaceous and woody material, planning next year’s flower and vegetable gardens, planting spring-flowering bulbs (but do not plant tulips yet), and sowing hardy annuals in open ground for next year. Replant containers with winter-flowering plants, lift tender plants for storage, collect seeds, continue to dead head flowers, plant out spring-raised plants or newly purchased perennials, prepare new rock gardens and alpine beds, cut back wisteria, rambling and climbing roses, take semi-ripe cuttings and of marginally hardy plants and overwinter these indoors.

Mulch trees and shrubs and trim hedges as required. Most flowering shrubs are best pruned when they finish flowering but if the garden has got away from you this summer with the impetus for growth that plants receive from the combination of abundant moisture and warmth then cut back now.

Some of these jobs can be left until October if the weather stays fine but with the days getting shorter it is essential that tasks such as sowing hardy annuals, vegetables, and grass seed are not postponed as germination will be threatened by both lower temperatures and light levels. It is worth remembering in the fine September days that we often enjoy that every job we can get down now reduces the need to have to go out when the weather may be less favourable.

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How many of us, especially when as children harboured a fond affection for hedgehogs? Somewhere in our memories are these almost fairy tale creatures linked to some bed time story or animated cartoon or other. While we all have a soft spot for this lovable prickly creature, the reality about them and their future is more startling. According to some reports hedgehogs could be extinct as soon as 2025, that’s 18 years from now and it is a statistic than can easily be avoided.

The cause of this frightening figure is a nationwide decline in the amount of natural habitat, woodland, hedgerow and countryside so crucial to hedgehogs for surviving, hibernating and breeding. Hundreds of hedgehogs meet their end sadly on our roads, and not a lot can be done to reduce this number, unless we all take more care when driving at night. What we can do though is support them by providing somewhere for them to live, food to supplement their natural diet and exercise care when carrying our gardening tasks.

At this time of year hedgehogs will begin preparations for hibernation. Preferred natural sites are in hedges, woodlands, under piles of logs and leaves – anywhere quiet and where they won’t be disturbed. They have also been known to bed in pampas grass, long grass, under decking, under sheds and worryingly in compost bins or under bonfire piles. Everyone can help reduce unnecessary injury to hedgehogs by checking compost and bonfire piles before turning and burning. Pampas should also be checked thoroughly to make sure there is not a sleeping bundle of prickles deep inside. Long grass should be checked thoroughly before mowing or strimming especially along hedges or fences where hedgehogs are likely to be.

Garden rubbish is another potentially fatal area. Hedgehogs often will tear open bin bags to see what’s inside, only to get trapped inside and put out for the bin men. Keep it up off the ground if you can, and don’t allow fast food cartons or empty food tins to be left lying around – they can climb in and become trapped or become injured and then die. Uncovered drains should be covered and ponds should have a piece of wood or rocks at the edge to let them climb out – they can swim but need to be able to get out. Netting, when not in use needs to be kept up out of the way to avoid hedgehogs getting tangled up.

In terms of feeding, hedgehogs are the ultimate natural gardener’s friend, eating up to 80 slugs and snails at night. They are hugely beneficial for the garden and should be welcomed wholeheartedly. Encouraging them is easy, simply put out some meat based dog or cat food in the same place every night and wait. Alternative hedgehog foods are available and help keep their teeth sharp and clean. Always provide fresh water too to keep them hydrated. Do remember though, hedgehogs, however cute, are wild animals and should not be approached, disturbed or picked up unless they look seriously ill and look in need of help. If hedgehogs are seen during the day, and look disorientated, it could be a sign that they are unwell – they are nocturnal and only really come out at night. A visit to your local vet or a call to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for help and advice is recommended (Tel: 01584 890801).

Offering a home for a hedgehog can be really rewarding but it must be put somewhere quiet in the garden, where it won’t be disturbed. If you simply set in on the lawn or on the patio it won’t even consider it. Think dark, quiet private peaceful and then put your hedgehog house there. Some have an inspection roof so in time you can check if you have a visitor. If you surround it and cover it will leaves and branches it will be even more appealing so don’t throw all your autumn leaf fall way.

Hedgehogs are an integral part of all of our pasts, our childhood memories, our affections. If we don’t do something to help them now, our children’s children won’t ever be able to share and experience our memories. Do something for their future and for the future of the hedgehog and make a difference to the frightening extinction statistic this autumn.

For every Hedgehog House you buy from AHS Direct this autumn, we will donate £1 to support the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Give it some thought, don’t let the hedgehog prick your conscience and do your little bit for the future survival or this very fairy tale, very real wild creature.

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At the time of writing these notes about August in the garden I am faced with a dilemma — whether to write for a usual August or to reflect the very strange year we have had to date. As August fast approaches, when gardeners will usually be worrying about keeping container plants well watered, concerned for their lawns etc, once again huge swathes of our country are under water.

Turning to my gardening bookshelf I quickly closed one book which opens its August gardening tips with: “Weather in August is often the same as July: if July is wet, August is likely to be wet as well.” Let us hope not! Very few summers (fingers crossed) are wholly bad and I hope the predictions of the weather sages will prove to be right, with an August and subsequent autumn months to help us all dry out.

My often-repeated advice is to take time out to sit in and to enjoy the garden, but this really is appropriate for a reasonable August — when the die is largely cast in the ornamental garden and there is just a matter of dead-heading, weeding, cutting flowers for the house. Now really should be the time to enjoy your garden, a time to entertain friends, have a barbecue, or just to laze during what we pray will be balmy days.

For those who cannot entirely relax unless they are doing something in the garden then keep an eagle eye open as you weed for self-sown seedlings that can be allowed to develop or potted up for protection depending on what they are. Most seedlings are difficult to recognise when they first germinate and you need to let them develop additional sets of leaves before you have a better chance of recognition. If in doubt pot them up or leave in situ and keep an eye on them. You can easily pull them up or discard if they prove to be something you do not want. Bear in mind that some self-seeded plants will not entirely resemble the parent plant. Aquilegias are a case in point: cultivated varieties sold in plant centres are often very different to the common columbine from which they are derived and seedlings will usually be common columbines rather than multi-coloured fancies but all the better I say for a true cottage garden effect. Foxgloves seed readily as do opium poppies. You can also intentionally sow seeds from these plants in places of your own choosing by collecting the seeds.

There is one big job to tackle this month if you want to sow or turf a new lawn this autumn. Like almost everything in life, the quality of a lawn reflects the care that went into its preparation. Although a cultivator reduces the toil involved, the best result is achieved by digging with a spade to one spit deep because this gives you the chance to remove perennial weed roots as you go. If the intended site of the lawn is a mass of couch grass, ground elder, and buttercups then spray with a glyphosate weedkiller that kills the plant back to the root but leaves the soil ready to use.

The ground usually will be hard in August but if you find it wet and heavy it is probably a sign that you have a hard layer of soil beneath the top soil that prevents drainage. This has to be broken through and you will need to add about a barrow load of coarse grit per square metre and also dig in manure or fine composted bark.

Once the ground has been dug over leave it for a few weeks to allow weed seeds to germinate so you can hoe them before getting the lawn ready for seed or turf.

Perverse as it may seem (if you have just put a great deal of effort into getting rid of compacted soil known as a “hard pan”) but you now need to tread the soil as you level. The best technique is to tread the soil down with little sideways steps. Rake the soil level as you go and get down to run your eye over the surface to spot hollows and bumps. Once you are certain the levels are right you can start sowing or laying turf in September. Remember that unless you want to spend all your spare time acting as a greenkeeper and you are prepared to keep children and pets off the grass it is best to select a general purpose lawn mixture with rye grass. The really fine lawn mixes require considerable maintenance to keep them looking good.

I found a tip in one of the late Geoff Hamilton’s books that was entirely new to me but I pass it on. Geoff suggested that if you have open packets of half-hardy annuals left over from spring sowing (or like me whole packets unopened because I buy too many) try using them up in August when the (hopefully) high temperatures and long day length will bring them on rapidly for some additional colour in containers. He also advocated taking soft cuttings of ageratum, the dwarf decorative begonias, busy lizzies, petunias and even lobelia by inserting several into small pots to grow on (without thinning) as late flowering pot plants.

Of course you should not spend the entire month of August sipping something cool in a lounger. Get up close and personal to enjoy your plants. Prune back any hooligans that are taking over and keep an eye open for shrubs that offer the harvest of semi-ripe cuttings for propagation. At this time of year it is far better to keep cuttings in pots out of doors provided you protect them from drying out. Many will happily strike in a bed prepared with sharp sand. Cover with a polythene cloche coated with dilute white emulsion paint to shade the cuttings. They should root quickly.

Ever since the Hampton Court Flower Show was recently introduced on television by Alan Titchmarsh with the comment that Henry VIII was only any good at “dead heading” this activity in our garden has been renamed doing some Henry VIII gardening. The object of dead-heading is to prevent plants from setting seed — which of course is their objective in life. By constantly removing dead flower heads before the plant can set seed you extend the flowering period. This is especially true of sweet peas and most of the popular container plants. Indeed I firmly believe that by cutting sweet peas for the house you maintain a more continuous flowering display and a delightful perfume. If you want attractive hips on roses of course then you will have to allow flowers to set seed but only roses such as Rosa rugosa and some of the R. moyesii hybrids have hips worth sacrificing late flowering for.

If August does not continue with the summer monsoon then watering may become necessary. It is particularly important to ensure that camellias that are now producing next year’s buds do not dry out to prevent them dropping their buds. Watering is most essential elsewhere in the garden to maintain yields for runner beans and main crop potatoes. Make sure that celery roots do not dry out and make sure varieties that are trench grown are earthed up to blanch their stems. If you have a greenhouse then you will need to water regularly making sure the compost does not dry out. It is also a good idea to damp down the greenhouse floor each morning to increase the humidity but essential to make sure the greenhouse is well ventilated but do not forget to close the greenhouse up on cool nights.

Plants in small pots and containers will probably need watering every day but if possible leave larger containers for a day or two between soakings. If it becomes necessary to water beds and borders then water thoroughly about twice each week but keep an eye open for any plants showing signs of stress.

If you have not already done so now is a good time to start a compost heap in your garden using perhaps a wooden bin. During the autumn you will produce a lot of garden waste as you prune and clean up in the garden. Start the heap now and you will have grass clippings to mix with coarser green waste as plants die back.

If your lawn is a general purpose turf with rye grass it can probably survive through a dry August after all the rainfall of recent months but do raise the height of the mower so that the grass is less stressed. A quality turf lawn may require watering twice each week if you insist on it retaining an emerald colour but most will recover with autumn rain if the mowing height is raised. If you must water then give a good drenching once or twice in a week rather than watering lightly every day. At least this year you can water with a clear conscience! The new green roof on the garage has benefited from the frequent rainfall to become well established before a drier ??? August and September.

For those really seeking things to do in the garden other than relaxing, here is a summary of August tasks.

Lawns
Apply fertilizer to sites for a new lawn a week before sowing. With an established lawn inspect visually to see which areas need repair and apply weedkillers and fungicides. Get an autumn feed ready to apply next month.

Ornamental garden
Continue to dead-head flowers and treat greenfly on roses if it appears. It is now too late to cut back most herbaceous plants to encourage further flowering but there are plants that are weakened by continued flowering such as anthemis and gaillarda that are best cut back now. Mulch, feed and water sweet peas to extend their season (also removing all dead flower stems).
Now, while the evidence is still present and the memory is fresh is a good time to plan any changes to beds or borders. It is also an ideal time to overhaul a bed that has become weed infested. Remember when choosing new planting that by careful selection it is possible to have interest in an herbaceous border from April through to November.

Do not leave renovation of a greenhouse until the late autumn. Now is the time to replace broken panes so that the greenhouse will not have chilling drafts during the colder months to come. It should be easier to paint or retreat timber greenhouses now than when the timber is wet. Make sure too now that the greenhouse heating works before it is suddenly required when the first night frosts occur.

Take cuttings of fuchsias and pelargoniums as well as semi-ripe cuttings of bay, buddleja, hebe, holly, ivy, lavender, lilac, pieris, rosemary and skimmia. You can also take softwood cuttings of Choisya ternata and Russian vine (Polygonum).

Continue to prune shrubs as soon as they have finished flowering and cut back privet and honeysuckle hedges. Do not cut hedges and topiary after August because there is a risk that any later new growth will be susceptible to frosts.

Fruit
Most soft fruit crops are coming to an end now but loganberries and blackberries will soon be ready to harvest. Pick pears before they are fully ripe by gently lifting and twisting. Treat early ripening varieties of apples in the same way. Now is the time to plant strawberries for a crop next summer. They are ideal plants to grow in a raised bed.

Vegetables
Sow spring cabbage now in ground that has not been fed with manure since last autumn and sow further succession crops of lettuce until mid August. In northern Britain Brussels sprout seeds should be sown now for planting out in October for an early crop next year.

Herbs
Harvest and freeze herbs now for use throughout the winter. Take cuttings of bay, mint, rosemary and sage, protecting them for the first few weeks with a cloche or place them in a pot of sand in a cold frame. Split up chives and collect seeds from dill and fennel. Herbs can also be dried before storing them in airtight earthenware or wooden jars. Only put herbs for immediate use into glass jars.

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When you think of Bill Oddie what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Well that really depends on your age, some like me may remember his unique comedy in the Goodies while other younger people associate him with wildlife programmes such Bill Oddie Goes Wild, The Truth about Killer Dinosaurs and the brilliant series Spring Watch and Autumn Watch.

However you remember him, it is his commitment to wildlife, birds and conservation that has earned him the title of “Britain’s best know bird watcher”. He is an exceptionally passionate presenter and writer and his down to earth and witty approach makes him a well loved household favourite.

This passion for birds has naturally extended into his own brand of brilliant bird foods – “Bill Oddie’s Bird Food Recipes”. AHS Direct is delighted to launch this Bill Oddie range of bird foods, available to buy now, direct from the ahs direct website. Pack sizes range from 1kg bags to13kg Bill’s Big Bags. Many species of birds are highly dependent on human help for survival – the common house sparrow is a perfect example. Their numbers have seriously declined over the last 30 years – over 50% have disappeared! With this in mind, the Bill Oddie Forest Feast Garden Bird mix is sold in conjunction with the Woodland Trust. The trust is the UK’s leading conservation charity dedicated to the protection of our native woodland heritage and 17p from every 2kg bag of Forest Feast Feed and £1 from every 13kg bag will go to the Woodland Trust for planting trees.

Bill Oddie Bird Food Recipes come in a variety of blends and bag sizes and include all types of yummy nuts and seeds as well as nutritious mealworm crumble, great for fledglings. At this time of the year House Sparrows, Blackbirds and Robins may be on their second or third brood. If you decide to buy the mealworm crumble simply add a little water to rehydrate the worms, and then the parent birds will be able to feed their young a healthy diet. The message from Bill is that not all bird foods are of the same quality. Some lower value bird foods, although likely to still be eaten by birds, will not deliver the same benefits as high quality foods. Birds need good quality food for energy, keeping warm, and to feed fledglings and the special mix of seeds, nuts and raisins included in many of the Bill Oddie range of feed types ensure birds get all they need to stay happy and healthy, and continue breeding successfully. So let’s encourage and support birds into our gardens and protect and restore the natural balance of our beautiful birdlife!

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Growing your own fruit and vegetables is apparently back in fashion. Just at the time that many local authorities would like to sell allotments, the demand for them is increasing and many more young faces are being seen among the rows of veg. Many allotments now have long waiting lists.

This increased popularity has even given rise to a new feature film Grow Your Own with a cast of characters that might be found in almost any other modern drama, but against an allotments backdrop.

This means that sales of fruit and vegetable seeds are now greater than those for flowers with dedicated followers of Carol Klein’s TV series Grow Your Own Veg swelling the ever-growing numbers of devotees for home-grown produce. Frankly, once you have tasted vegetables and fruit straight from the garden you will be disappointed with the reduced flavour of shop-bought produce. Tomatoes are an excellent case in point. If you grow your own tomatoes you can also select a variety for taste but the really big difference is that shop tomatoes are harvested before they are fully ripe for a longer shelf life. This applies widely throughout all fresh produce but for those who find shop strawberries lacking in flavour you should try growing your own.

Although for serious vegetable growing a dedicated plot is probably essential, it is entirely possible to grow fruit and vegetables within an ornamental garden. Runner beans look great in an herbaceous border, and fruit trees, bushes and even canes can be incorporated in a decorative garden. It is even possible to grow vegetables in containers and a terracotta strawberry planter makes an attractive feature on a patio.

It is also possible to set aside a part of the garden exclusively for vegetables so that crops can be properly rotated but to do so in an attractive manner. Raised beds permit crops to be planted closer together because of the greater depth of soil and they can be arranged as a parterre to make an attractive feature.

Perhaps the new early evening Sunday viewing with Alan Titchmarsh is both boosting and riding this trend. His latest programme focuses on the age-old tradition of local garden shows in which growers vie with each other to win silverware for the longest, most perfect runner beans, largest marrow or pumpkin, or most perfect tomato.

We were reminded by an article in last week’s Sunday Telegraph by Elspeth Thompson that the forthcoming RHS Hampton Court Flower Show (July 3-8) is incorporating a Summer Fruit and Vegetable Show for the first time. There are of course countless local shows throughout Britain at which gardeners compete against each other with their produce. There will be a number of fruit and vegetable special features at the show, including a recreation by RHS Wisley of the 3m x 3m vegetable plot that was featured in Carol Klein’s TV programme. There will also be cookery demonstrations and advice about using seasonal fruit and vegetables at the Quaglino’s Kitchen by Craig James the restaurant’s head chef .

We share Elspeth Thompson’s delight that kitchen gardening is becoming much more mainstream. Elspeth ends her article by drawing a comparison with Britain during World War II when we “dug for victory”. She suggests that we are doing so once more but for our health, to save money, combat global warming, break the stranglehold of the supermarkets, or simply for the satisfaction of seeing something go from a seed to a plant and to something that feeds our body, mind and soul. We are just happy that lots of people seem to have discovered the pleasure that growing and eating your own fruit and vegetables gives you.

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Given the June we have just suffered it may seem odd to start the July garden diary with reference to watering. The reality though is that July usually brings higher temperatures that cause considerable evaporation even if there are showers.

That late great popular gardener Geoff Hamilton started his garden advice for July with an admission that watering was his least favourite garden task but made the point I was about to draw to your attention: when you water you have a chance to learn a lot about your plants. I find watering a peaceful and enjoyable occupation – but then I do not have Geoff Hamilton’s seven greenhouses, three tunnels, two conservatories, and alpine house on top of all those feature gardens at Barnsdale.

We must assume after this summer’s monsoon that one problem we gardeners will not face this year is a hosepipe ban! Certainly my water butts are all full to the brim, which is unusual for late June. Remember though when watering that little and often is not the best way to water your plants. It is far better to give beds a thorough soaking every few days (as the climate dictates) so that the plants do not grow soft. Of course if we get a tropical heatwave in June then plants may need a daily soak: the plants will soon let you know!

Let’s be positive as half the country (at the time of writing) seems to be under water and imagine a really scorching July, August, September and October! If this happens then it is not too late to put down a mulch around plants to conserve moisture. If you do not have a weed suppressing membrane on your beds and plan to mulch then a good choice is fine composted bark that will perform well as a mulch but will also become incorporated in the soil more quickly. This introduces more humus into the soil and helps improve the structure of both heavy and ultra light soils.

Lawns are also best watered thoroughly not more than twice a week rather than every night. Only lawns of the very finest grasses really need irrigating for those with coarser grass (and perhaps a mat of clover) can generally cope with even a severe drought. Although they may turn brown, the first rain will usually return the grass to green in a matter of hours. If we get a spell of hot weather in July then the first step with a fine lawn is to raise the height of the blades on the mower. In a drought it is a good practice to leave the grass box off the mower and allow the clippings to act as a mulch. If a lawn turns brown too quickly then it is likely to signify other problems: poor soil preparation or perhaps mowing too frequently and too closely. It is a good idea after a period of summer drought to give the lawn an autumn feed just before forecasts of rain.

Watering and caring for the lawn are perhaps the major garden tasks for July, which is (hopefully) a month for enjoying the garden by sitting in it, eating in it, or entertaining in it. One task well worth adding to the list though is to cut back perennials after flowering to encourage a second flowering. This not only encourages new flowers, but by preventing them from setting seed it also helps to extend the life of short-lived perennials such as lupins. You can allow one or two stems to set seed in order to replenish perennials with a short life. Chop early delphiniums and geraniums just above the crown of the plant to encourage new growth and prevent the problem of them swamping everything else as they flop about, unable to support themselves. The one problem about this drastic treatment is that it opens up bare patches just when you want the garden to look at its best. This is why I keep pots of flowering plants available to pop into those spaces. Do not apply this treatment to plants such as penstemons and others with a single stem.

If you can find the energy in the cooler evening air (on an evening when you are not watering) then there are other important tasks to carry out in July such as pruning clematis. Gardeners are generally confused about when or if too prune clematis. Now is the time to prune those that flowered early (before the end of June) by cutting back side shoots back to about three buds. For the later flowering types leave pruning until autumn (in the south) or until February in cooler parts of the UK. These types are cut back hard to just above a well-developed bud about 6 in (15 cm) above the ground.

If you have not already done so there is still time to take semi-ripe cuttings that should root in between 4 to 12 weeks depending on the type of plant. Plants that are easy to propagate now from cuttings include Abutilon, Aucuba, Buxus (box), Brugmansia, Cistus, Escallonia, Forsythia, Fuchsia, Hebe, Hibiscus, Lonicera (honeysuckle), Penstemon, and Salvia. Others that are relatively easy to propagate include Hydrangea and rosemary.

If you are among the ever-growing number of people who grow their own vegetables and fruit then July is a month for harvesting your crops. You should be able to lift new potatoes and enjoy the simply delicious flavour of freshly dug new spuds. Beans should start cropping, along with peas and tomatoes and time too to lift garlic and shallots before drying and storing them.

It is also time to rejuvenate herbs by cutting them back to encourage fresh young growth. The new foliage has a better flavour than mature leaves. You can cut mint, marjoram and tarragon, and sorrel in this way.

There are countless more jobs for the serious gardener to do this month according to most of the gardening books but apart from wandering around dead-heading and the jobs already mentioned I try to reserve my time in the garden in July and August to sipping something cool in the shade while enjoying the display of colour on show.

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At least as far as gardening products is concerned, “green” garden products are being demanded by more and more gardeners, everything from peat free compost to natural born killers like nematodes are top of their shopping lists.

Earlier this year the team at AHS Direct announced its Committed to Change Policy, a determined effort to provide customers with a wide choice of environmentally friendly garden supplies, FSC and Managed Plantation timber goods, solar lighting & water features and organic pesticides and composts. We want to encourage our customers to think about the effect certain traditional gardening products have on the environment and consider buying alternatives to suit their own preferred gardening methods.

As part of the development of this policy AHS Direct is pleased to announce the addition of Just Green products to its range. The Just Green brand is synonymous with greener gardening, supplying everything from natural pesticide sprays, granules and tapes to nematodes and mites. Also included are products to help encourage wildlife in the garden – Ladybird breeding kits, live bee hives and hedgehog houses are just a few of the items on offer on our site. All of these are brilliant products which protect the natural elements of a garden and encourage bio-diversity and wildlife.

The Just Green range compliments perfectly the policy of AHS Direct and we hope more of customers will consider adapting their gardening methods and do their bit for the environment. The best part is it doesn’t even have to be a huge change – if everyone did just one thing, together they would contribute to a bigger overall change.

We welcome comments from all of our customers and if you have any thoughts on greener gardening or want to share your experiences or ideas please do not hesitate to contact us. You can email jackie.smyth@ahs-ltd.co.uk or call 01797 227300 – we’d love to hear from you.

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We have just returned from exhibiting at BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC in Birmingham and what a show it was! Each of the 5 days saw thousands of people visit the show, undeterred by the often dreadful weather, keen to take it all in, be immersed in the atmosphere that only a show like this can deliver and grab a bargain or two along the way.

This year Gardeners’ World Live celebrated its 40th anniversary and the BBC’s own Show Garden entry, the 40 Year Garden designed by Joe Swift, was spectacular, fully deserving its Silver Gilt award.

It was incredible to see so many people there, professional gardeners, dedicated gardeners and amateur garden hobbyists all came to be inspired by the gardens, buy new products from the hundreds of exhibitors and listen to the presentations by Monty Don, Christine Walkden, Alan Titchmarsh and Carol Klein to name but a few. There was also the traditional frenzy for buying plants, new species and old favourites, were equally on show and the Seed Swap Marquee was a hive of activity for the duration of the show. There will certainly be hundreds of beautiful gardens around the UK this summer if the number of fruit, veg and flower plants leaving the show is anything to go by!

Something that was great to see was the increasing number of companies offering organic and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional products. Peat free composts, wildlife homes and foods, managed timber garden tools, chemical free pesticides, even soil free growing mediums – all representing an area of the market that we at AHS Direct are committed to developing, encouraging our gardening customers to do their bit for the environment, making an informed choice when they look at our products. We already offer a wide variety of products that are organic, bio degradable and energy saving. All our wooden furniture is produced from either managed plantation timber is FSC Certified. Our barks are all produced from harvested tree bi-products and we do a range of natural born killers like Nematodes, which are increasingly popular. We spoke to hundreds of people over the five day event and were amazed at how many really want to do their bit for the environment. Consumer awareness is impressive and a lot of people will only use environmentally friendly products and are demanding they be made available across the industry.

Another great observation was the number of younger people at the show. All too often it is assumed that shows like this are for the more mature individual with time on their hands. In truth, there were loads of young people there, all enthusiastic about gardening, improving their gardens, helping their environment and getting the latest in gardening accessories to brighten up their gardens, allotments or vegetable plots. Given that the team at AHS Direct comprises of young (ish) garden enthusiasts it was encouraging to see this group of visitors who do believe gardening is enjoyable, cool and rewarding and not a dull and boring past time as some think.

In summary one thing the show really proved – the gardening future is bright, the gardening future is green!!

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June is perhaps the best of all months in the garden with the maximum number of daylight hours (and hopefully plenty of sun and warmth). Although July and August may well bring higher average temperatures “blooming June” is a time of colourful abundance with plenty of new growth and the exuberance of fresh foliage. It is a time to enjoy the garden but there are still tasks to be fitted in to keep the garden looking at its best.

Before moving on to the chores though don’t forget the garden is a part of your home which at this time of the year allows us to entertain and relax in outdoor surroundings. This is why you will find great ranges of garden furniture, barbecues, garden lighting, summer houses and arbours in the product pages on this web site.

The most regular of June tasks will probably be watering, weeding, and mowing. Established borders should not required watering, especially if they have a mulch to conserve moisture in the soil but annuals and newly planted perennials and shrubs will need water until they have become established. Container grown plants need regular watering and feeding to replace nutrients washed out and consumed from the compost. This can be reduced by use of moisture control compost or by adding water retaining polymer to the compost.

Watering is also an opportunity to look closely at plants to check for pests or other problems. Keep on top of weeding this month because growth is so rapid that the task can soon get onerous.

Although the well-planned garden still has much to offer for the months to come the ornamental garden should be full of early summer perennials now with the colours not yet muted by the summer’s heat. For the vegetable garden it is still early in the season but crops that can be enjoyed now include broad beans, lettuce, radishes and other salad vegetables. Tender vegetable plants can be planted out now and further successional sowings of lettuce and even runner beans and French beans. If you like swedes they are best sown in position in June. Thin them out as soon as large enough to deal with. Leeks and brassicas can now be moved from a seed bed to their final positions. Early potatoes should be ready to enjoy so crop them as required for that ultimate new potato taste!

Those fortunate enough to have a vegetable garden will now find it necessary to spend time every week thinning out seedlings and hoeing or weeding. Make sure you do not hoe so close to crops that you damage them – specially with carrots – where this attracts carrot root fly. It is better to hoe between rows and then weed by hand close to the plants themselves. Provided the beds were well prepared there should only be annual weeds to deal with and hoeing is sufficient to eradicate them. Any perennial weeds will not be killed by hoeing but may succumb to constant hoeing although this can merely cause more plants to be created from root fragments. If perennial weeds are a problem then these should be either removed by digging them up or killed by using a systemic weedkiller applied to the leaves of the weeds.

An ideal way to suppress weeds and also retain moisture is to mulch the soil. It is not a good idea to use lawn clippings as these can generate considerable heat as they start to break down. Black polythene or ground cover works if you do not mind the industrial look. If you prefer your vegetable plot to look as attractive as the rest of the garden then you can add an ornamental mulch over weed control fabric. This is better than polythene because it allows any rain or evening moisture through to the soil while still retaining moisture in the soil. It also does not need to be moved for irrigation.

Early summer also heralds the start of the soft fruit season but remember you are not the only one who enjoys feasting on strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and currants. The best and kindest way to keep birds off your fruit is to protect the fruit with netting. Plastic netting is remarkably cheap and is best draped over a framework making sure there are no holes through which birds can gain access.

If weather conditions permit try to mow grass at least once each week, although for really fine lawns this should be even as much as three times each week. Obviously the rate at which grass grows is related to both warmth and moisture so that during drought grass grows little and needs cutting less often.

Do not forget to enjoy your garden in June if the weather is at all seasonal. Keep on top of the routine tasks but remember to relax and enjoy your garden too.

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