Gardening tips for summer

Many gardeners like to do the ‘Hampton Court’ hack in July. This method involves taking the shoot of a plant in your flower border and cutting back by roughly a third.

It's important to deadhead flowering plants to keep them healthy and blooming for as long as possible, unless they have attractive seedheads or berries.

You may not need to water as much as you think, especially if the soil is healthy and the ground is covered by plants or mulches.

Our gardeners warn against a lot of digging in dry weather as it damages the soil structure, increases moisture loss and disturbs plant roots.

Six steps to mushroom farming