Gardening jobs for the week ahead

Top up ponds and bird baths regularly.

Water fruit and veg plants daily.

Prune all summer-flowering shrubs once the blooms are finished.

Water evergreen shrubs like camellias and rhododendrons to make sure that next year’s buds develop well.

Keep patio container plants well watered and feed with a liquid fertiliser every fortnight.

Cut back herbs to encourage a new flush of leaves to harvest before the first frost.

Stake tall or top-heavy dahlias (pictured) and lilies to prevent wind and rain damage. Deadhead lilies for a better flower display next year.

Deadhead annual bedding plants and perennials to encourage them to flower into the autumn and stop them self-seeding.