Earth up potatoes in open ground and containers as the foliage reaches 23cm (9in) to prevent green tubers
Plant up containers with summer-flowering bedding, adding controlled-release fertiliser into the compost
Remove red lily beetle adults and larvae from lilies and fritillaries. As a last resort, Provado Ultimate Bug killer is available to control them
Do not get caught out by early summer dryness – recently planted trees and shrubs, including fruit, need regular watering for the first two growing seasons to establish well
Deadhead rhododendrons – pinch off each spent flower carefully, avoiding damage to developing buds just below
Sow carrots, radishes, beetroot, lettuce and spring onions successionally for continuous cropping
Kitchen garden
- Net culinary cherries against birds
- Harvest up to half the stems of established rhubarb over the season
- Remove raspberry suckers encroaching onto paths or between rows
Ornamental Gardens
- Prune overgrown camellias as they start putting on fresh growth. Cut to young sideshoots which will flower next year
- Coppice or pollard juvenile foliage from eucalyptus for floral arrangements
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs such as Forsythia and Philadelphus
Greenhouse
- Put up shading to limit temperatures inside to 25-27 °c (77-81°F)
- Detach baby rosettes from succulents such as Echeveria and pot into small containers of gritty compost
Pest and Disease Watch
- Apply slug and snail controls to dahlias as they put on new growth
- Use insect mesh to prevent damage to carrots by carrot fly