Jobs to do in the garden - July

It's the warmest month of the year, the Festival of British Archaeology and the celebration of Eid ul-Adha.

It's also National Picnic Month and Ice-cream Month, but in between eating ice-creams and soaking up the sun, now is a great time to work on the garden. Anything you do now will keep it looking good into the peak Summer months and beyond.

Below are a few jobs for the garden this July weekend:

1.Cut back geraniums after flowering to encourage new blooms

2. Deadhead rose bushes for renewed colour

3. Plant Autumn bulbs such as Freesias, Begonias, Iris, Dahlias and Gladioli for a riot of colour from September onwards

4. Pull sprouting weeds from borders and paths before they seed and spread

5. Sit in your deckchair and admire the garden

Now is also a good time to take cuttings. While you can pick up gorgeous fuchsia plants from your local garden centre, there's something special about growing your own.

And it's super easy.

How to grow your own fuchsias from cuttings:

• Select a relatively new shoot, approximately 8-10cm in length, with 3-4 sets of leaves on it
• Cut just below a leaf node and remove the two lower leaves
• Plant in normal multi-purpose compost
• Cover with a bag, ensuring no parts of the bag touch the leaves
• Store away from direct sunlight and monitor for a couple of weeks
• Keep compost moist
• After two weeks or so, remove the bag and continue to water lightly

Your new fuchsia is ready to plant out once the last frost has passed (normally May).

Gardening is great for the mind, body and soul - relaxing in a deckchair is equally good for you, and after all that hard work you've earned a bit of R&R.