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Fruit, vegetables and herbs
Sow herbs now into warm soil. Finish sowing maincrop vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli and peas.
Sow seeds of cabbage and cauliflower for autumn and winter, to plant out in six or eight weeks. Make repeat sowings of lettuce and peas. Thin out vegetables and plant out tender kinds.
Lawn
A cold spring left lawns slow to start growth. Feed a lawn that is not growing well or is pale in colour.
Carry out any lawn repairs or over-sowing soon in case of a dry spell. Trim the edges around flower beds or borders, before the grass gets long, shooting out its long flower stems.
Trees, shrubs and roses
Rose blackspot destroys the foliage and flowering. If the bushes are susceptible, they should be replaced or sprayed with rose fungicide.
Prune spring shrubs as they go out of flower, if they are too big or of bad shape. Forsythia, flowering currant, kerria and spring spirea might need pruning.
Flowers
A cold spring kept slugs and snails quiet but a few warm, moist nights can change all that. Dahlias are often attacked as they come through the soil and sometimes this is difficult to spot. Bedding plants can be planted out in coastal areas.
Greenhouse and house plants
Feed greenhouse plants strongly and water well. Plant out tomatoes, chilli peppers, cucumbers and sweet peppers as soon as space becomes available in the greenhouse.
House plants can be re-potted now, using half-and-half peat compost and ordinary garden soil, unsterilized, but not stony.
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