Summer General Tips: Cut back herbaceous perennial plants such as persicaria, nepeta and geranium that have finished flowering. This will quickly result in fresh new foliage and a second flush of flower. The foliage of caltha palustris, the marsh marigold, always looks untidy in the summer so cut off old leaves to allow fresh new growth to appear. Watch out for water lily beetle that can quickly disfigure nymphaea leaves, leaving them looking like lace. Remove adults and larvae along with affected leaves. Remove seed heads from plants that are a potential nuisance if left to seed by themselves. Take time to relax and enjoy your garden. Water Garden: Keep an eye out for blanket weed - thin strings of bright green algae - attached to the bottom surface. Either manually remove the weed or use one of the chemicals available on the market, however if you have water lilies check that the product is compatible. Duckweed is another problem at this time of year and the only successful cure is to manually remove it. Ducks do like to eat it but they are not always welcome in the pond. Top up the pond as it evaporates – it is important to keep the water level constant as this will keep the plants in good order and reduce shrinkage. The Lawn: Apply a general lawn fertiliser. Look out for lawn weeds and treat with a selective weed killer such as Verdone. A good tip is to buy a watering can with a fine rose and write on it ‘Selective Weed Killer Only’ just for this task. You can do the same for ‘Total Weed Killers’ (for paths and around obstacles). The Rose: Keep an eye out for disease and spray with fungicide and pesticide. Rose Clear will do both jobs in one spray. Remove any suckers by tearing them off as close to the base as possible. Do not cut them off as this will multiply the suckers. Ornamental Trees: Continue regular clipping of topiary. Keep a sharp look out for a new disease affecting oak trees: Sudden Oak Death. The disease originates from California and Oregon, USA. It is caused by Phytophthora ramorum and it causes mature trees to wilt and die within months following infection. Further information can be obtained at www.forestry.gov.uk/planthealth or www.defra.gov.uk/planth/phindx.htm. The disease will affect rhododendrons and viburnums in this country. If the presence of the disease is suspected on these species contact DEFRA Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate, tel: 0190 445 5714; for Oaks contact the Forestry Commission Plant Health Service, tel: 0845 367 3787. We use Roundup weed killer around the base of trees for 2-3 feet as this reduces the competition from weeds and makes mowing around obstacles easier. Remove any dead wood and crossing stems or weak forks. Ornamental Shrubs: Remove suckers from grafted plants and prune out reverted shoots on variegated species. Carry out formative training and pruning. Prune shrubs that flower during the spring months where required. Bulbs: Mow the areas of naturalised bulbs in grass areas once their leaves start turning brown – this is usually about 6 weeks after flowering. Start planning your bulb planting for the autumn as choice bulbs are often sold out first when they are in stock. Fruit: Keep an eye out for saw fly on gooseberries; these fellows will strip the bush of leaves almost overnight prior to the fruit ripening. Top fruit that has set a lot of fruit will require thinning – this should be carried out as soon as possible. Straw up strawberries to keep the fruit clean. Look out for ornamental plum death. Inspection of the trees indicate failure of the buds rather than the root system. Back