Snip now and your flowers will thank you later as a small trim can work wonders, says Joe Swift

Looking after shrub and climbing roses Cut back, feed ...

Remove the tall old stems of Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) to encourage strong new growth. Use secateurs to cut each stem to 15cm from ground level, which might seem drastic but will result

Work your way through your borders, removing dandelion flowerheads before they get the chance to set seed. Flowers of dandelions are a useful source of early nectar for pollinators but if they are abl

Planting schemes should never stand still, so let’s reassess, reshape and reinvigorate

To hide my new garden’s nakedness, I planted trees. Damson and mirabelle plum, ‘Discovery’ and reinette apples, two pears, a quince and a ‘Nottingham’ medlar. There was a purple-leaved filbert, a ‘Che