Use the skin of citrus fruit to attract and trap slugs and snails. They will crawl into the peel at night. In the morning shovel them up and dump
Sunlight encourages pond weed and green water. Try to shade at least part of the surface of the pond
This is the time to clip evergreen hedges giving them time to recover and cover themselves with new leaves before the first of the winter frosts
As soon as blackcurrants have finished fruiting prune out the older branches. The oldest branches have black or dark brown bark. Young stems are a pale, fawn-brown. Cut the branches as close to the ground as possible
Warm weather encourages red spider mite on conifers. They cause defoliation on spruce. Spray now to reduce the damage
Cut everlasting flowers, such as achillea, and grasses whey they are at their peak. Hang them upside down in a warm, airy position to dry naturally ready for decorative arrangements
Damp down the greenhouse floor every morning on hot days to increase humidity. The plants will love this and it also helps to discourage red spider mite
Make sure greenhouse plants are well shaded on hot days to prevent scorch. The easiest way to do this is to apply netting or shade paint to the outside of the glass. Scorch is exacerbated if leaves are wet, so take care when watering plants
Pick summer fruit and then freeze supplies or make jams and jellies
To prevent plants drying out while you are on holiday move any baskets and containers out of full sun to a position where they are shaded at the height of the day. Stand terracotta pots on gravel trays topped up with water, so the pots can gradually absorb the reservoir of liquid
Raise the blades on the mower before cutting fine lawns. This will help to reduce drought stress
Take advantage of the dry weather by painting fences, sheds and other wooden features with preservative
