Gardening - jobs for the week ahead

No matter how often it rains, container plants will need regular watering and feeding to help them go out with a flourish of late colour, and greenhouse-grown tomatoes also require plenty of moisture and food if they are to continue to crop.

Hedges which have been allowed to have their way for the past few months will need pruning.

And take your pick, literally, of the first apples and pears; this really is a sign that summer is waning and autumn is knocking on the door.

But don’t despair, carry on pruning rambling roses when they’ve finished flowering; take cuttings from tender perennials such as pelargoniums (pictured); summer-prune gooseberries; remove strawberry plants which have seen better days and replace them with fresh stock; lift and dry onions.