Just a spot of summer sunshine and everyone wants to fill the garden with family and friends for a barbecue. Your flower border should be full of colour, although feeding and watering is vital to long-term survival. fill in any gaps with potted bedding plants bought from the garden centre and perk up patio pots with a few fresh plants to see out the summer. Patio posts can be moved around so that the ones in best condition are on display for your guests.

THE GARDEN

Dead-heading roses grown for flowers and not for hips will encourage a further flush of blooms later in the year. For best results the Royal National Rose Society recommends you simply snap off the dead head without removing any leaves. According to their trials the traditional way of using secateurs to cut back the stem at the same time slows down future flowering and reduces the number of blooms.

In warm weather roses and other flowers are often attacked by greenfly. Zap them with a suitable insecticide at the earliest opportunity. If you are treating roses it's a good idea to use a product that will control diseases at the same time.

During summer many gardeners assume that when their roses drop their leaves this is due to drought. Well, in most cases, this is not the reason. Instead, blackspot disease, which is rampant around the country, is the culprit. So if you notice premature leaf drop this year make sure your roses are protected by spraying with a systemic fungicide such as Roseclear 3 now and again next spring.

Summer flower shrubs such as philadelphus, jasmine and weigela will benefit if you cut back flowering shoots to strong new growth immediately after all the flowers have faded. Encouraging new growth like this will ensure the plant carries flowers all over the plant instead of just at the top. To give these shrubs the energy to produce plenty of flower bearing stems, dress around the roots with a plant food such as Miracle-Gro Shake & Feed. This contains a controlled release plant food that will supply all the major nutrients over the next three months to ensure good sturdy growth.

If it becomes necessary to water plants growing in the garden then give newly planted shrubs and perennials priority and see that they get a good drink occasionally rather than little and often. In this way you will encourage deeper roots. Feeding your shrubs and annual flowers with plant food regularly will ensure they are well nourished. Feeding the garden and containers is quicker, and easier if you use a feeder that fits on the end of a standard hose.

Give extra water and plant food to ever-hungry dahlias. If you alternate weekly feeds between Miracle-Gro and Tomorite you will see they bloom with extra vigour.

topical tip

The tough weeds ground elder, bindweed, docks and thistles are now in full leaf and are ripe for control. Spray the weed leaves with Roundup or Roundup Tough Weedkiller on a dry day when rain is not expected. If the bindweed is climbing through wanted shrubs or plants you will need to paint individual leaves with Tumbleweed Original Extra Strong Gel. The more leaves you are able to paint the better will be the control.

ON THE PATIO

Eating outside and socialising are great ways to relax, but only if your pots are looking perky and the guests don't have to fight their way into the garden through a jungle of unsightly weeds!

Perk up plants in existing pots with weekly applications of plant food. This supplies vital nutrients so your plants will soon be growing strongly and overflowing with flowers. For a real sizzling display, plant up tubs full of red and orange flowering plants.

Clear unwanted weeds from paths, drive and patios. For an effective way of waging war on weeds, let long-lasting Pathclear Gun! or Pathclear deal with them for you.

Check all hanging baskets and patio planters daily and water as required. Even on dull days transpiration through the plants can use up water reserves.

Plants in pots are planted close together and are therefore more prone to a quick spread of pests. Keep a ready to use insecticide handy so that you can treat any pests early. Try Polysect Ready to Use or BugClear Gun! Or if you want a natural insecticide use Nature's Answer Natural Pest Control.

LAWNS

Summer wear and tear, with children playing in the same spot can result in bare patches and worn areas on the lawn. Left untreated the bare patches expose open soil ready for the invasion of weeds.

The easiest way to sort out the problem is by the use of a Lawn Repair Kit such as EverGreen. They usually contain a general fertilizer to up the nutrient reserves of the soil and a general purpose grass seed mixture that contains hard-wearing dwarf rye grass and attractive fescues. Rake the soil to loosen the surface and spread the fertilizer evenly at the rate recommended on the box. After spreading the seed, water well and cover with some fleece to keep birds and cats from disturbing the area.

Keep cutting the grass regularly and trimming the edges for a trim look.

Feeding and weeding during mid-summer is beneficial to see the lawn through until the autumn rains. At this time of the year you may have to water in ordinary granules of lawn treatments to avoid the potential for scorch damage. Instead it is probably wiser to use a product that is watered onto the lawn.

To get the best effect from any lawn treatment, apply it mid-way between mowings. This gives a few days for the weed leaves to re-grow after mowing and gives them a few days after treatment for any weed-killing element to move down to the roots.

In drought conditions it is much better to water the grass a few days before you apply a lawn treatment so that the soil is moist and the grass is not under stress.

topical tip

Treat the odd weed with a spot weedkiller such as Verdone Extra, lightly spraying the weed leaf. Don't be tempted to get the leaves thoroughly wet so the liquid runs off. More than a couple of squirts on any area of weed can scorch the grass.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

VEGETABLES
Wet weather during summer is beneficial to most vegetables, but can herald the start of blight disease that infects the foliage of maincrop potatoes and tomatoes. If the weather is at all showery keep an eye out for the first signs of infection. If you notice brown areas on the edges of leaves consider spraying the crop with Murphy Traditional Copper Fungicide now and repeat every two weeks to keep the disease under control.

Plant out leek seedlings in good rich soil. Make a hole about 10 cm (6 inches) deep, drop in the seedling and water in. Don't worry if you can't find room to grow the plants in rows, they are quite happy growing between flowers and shrubs where they get the occasional feed. The foliage is no more obtrusive than decorative alliums and allows you to grow a hardy vegetable that is useful throughout the winter in stews, quiches and casseroles.

If you have room for Brussels sprouts transplant seedlings to their cropping position leaving about 75 cm (30 in) between plants.

Water runner beans regularly and feed them weekly with Miracle-Gro or other Water Soluble Plant Food so the growth remains vigorous. Pick all beans when they are young and tender. All your vegetable crops will appreciate feeding.

topical tip

Feed tomatoes in the greenhouse and outdoors with a special fertilizer such as Tomorite that is rich in potash and contains extra magnesium and seaweed extract. Keep them free of attack from whitefly by using Polysect Ready to Use - ideal for use in a greenhouse.

FRUIT
It's time for picking, protecting and feeding the fruit in your garden.

Start picking gooseberries now taking one or two here and there, leaving smaller fruits to grow and be harvested later. If you are training your gooseberry as a cordon shape pinch out the tips of lateral shoots at about five leaves.

Protect strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants from attention by birds using suitable netting. The strawberries will also need protection from slugs and a light sprinkle of SlugClear Mini Pellets around plants will help.

After fruiting has finished, peg down strawberry runners so that you can have new plants for next year's crop. To make the transplanting job easier, sink pots of fresh Levington Multi-Purpose Compost where the plantlets have formed and peg these down with wire staples. Only use runners from healthy plants, dig up and burn any plants that show signs of yellowing or rolling and crinkling of the leaves.

topical tip

Mist plants regularly with plain water to keep down populations of red spider mite and encourage fruit set. Only make plant leaves wet early in the morning or in the evening when the sun has lost its power to scorch the leaves.