Garden works

July in the garden should be all about stress-free pottering in warm summer sunshine, soaking up every colour and scent and plucking irresistibly fresh berries and vegetables to snack on while you work. Of course, this gardening idyll is rather at the mercy of the weather, which isn't always kind this month, but now that the frenetic activity of spring has passed I definitely think that this is the time to step back and appreciate what you've achieved and take things a little bit easier

Warm evenings are ideal for wandering round with the secateurs deadheading. It's amazing how much better bedding plants and perennials look without their fading blooms and removing them helps promote further flowering, so you can't lose. If your borders have filled up nicely then there shouldn't be too many weeds, but pounce on the odd one that you missed while you're out and you might not have to spend much time weeding at all.

Keeping a regular eye on plants also means that you'll pick up the first signs of pests and diseases while they're still easy to deal with. A few aphids on fresh new growth can be squashed between your fingers, snails disposed of as you see fit, cabbage white butterfly eggs or caterpillars can be picked off before they shred leaves and limp clematis shoots showing signs of wilt disease cut down to the base before it has a chance to spread. It sounds ridiculous to remind anyone to pick their veg, but when a baby courgette becomes an unappetising marrow in two or three days and tender young beans will turn stringy almost as quickly, it's easy to be caught out. Tomatoes, beans and cucumbers that are trained on supports need their growing tips pinching out when they reach the top, to concentrate their energy on cropping rather than heading skywards.

Elegant bearded irises seem to have flowered particularly well this year and, if you feel inspired to plant more round the garden, divide the clumps now. Carefully lift the ginger-like rhizomes with a fork, cut them into sections with a set of healthy leaves and trim the leaves down by about two-thirds so they don't rock in the wind. Then replant them in a sunny spot, with the top of the rhizome just proud of the soil, and water in.

What could be easier? Although, of course, if you're planning to go on holiday...

This article was first published in The Scotsman, Saturday July 3, 2010