RHS Gardening Through The Year: Month-by-month Planning Instructions and Inspiration

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Achieve a luscious garden all year round with this best-selling, easy-to-follow guide for novice gardeners from BBC Gardener's World writer Ian Spence.

Spend some time repairing bald patches of lawn by following our tips on how to plant grass seed. Keep the soil moist while the seed germinates. Water cacti and any succulent garden ideas when the compost is dry. Place citrus trees, cymbidiums and other houseplants outdoors for a summer holiday Keep all your plants, containers and home grown fruit and vegetables watered well, especially if it’s hot. The best time to water is in the early morning. Aim the garden hose at the roots of the plants not the leaves. Drape netting over blueberries, currants and cherries to keep the birds off. And if you're learning how to grow strawberries, make sure you protect them from birds before the fruits color. Discover top tips to guide you with clear, easy-to-follow gardening advice and illustrated step-by-step projects and gardening ideas. This fully updated edition includes brand-new visual galleries that showcase a garden throughout the year, with inspirational ideas for achieving colour schemes, your favourite scent, or striking foliage in your garden.

After flowering, prune climbing and rambling roses and tie in stems securely to prevent any breakages in extreme weather.

If you grow your own fruit and vegetables they’ll need watering daily. Your lawn will need some TLC too, especially during hot spells. Most important of all, spend as much time in your garden as possible when doing your August gardening jobs to enjoy the benefits of all your hard work…

Christmas Gifts

Mow the lawn just once a fortnight to keep it healthy during dry periods – the taller leaves develop longer roots which can withstand drought better. Now the weather is warmer, slugs and snails are about. Follow our tips for how to get rid of slugs and go on a torch-lit hunt so you can protect vulnerable young plants. Collect seed heads from the garden. The best time to do this is when the seed heads or pods have ripened and are dry and brittle. Gather them on a dry day, ideally after a rain-free spell, as they need to be completely dry when stored or they will go moldy.