Those longer, warmer, brighter days are here… but as many prepare to pack their cases for a well-earned break, our green-fingered expert Adam Kirtland says he’ll be getting away from it all and de-stressing amid the summer riot of colour in his garden

We’re at the time of the year that’s a gardener’s paradise. Long, sunny days and warm weather make everything burst into life. Your flowers are in likely in bloom, and the veggie patch is thriving – that’s if the rain has stopped?

While lots of you might be thinking about packing your bags and jetting off somewhere exotic, many of us will be here tending to our plots, gardens and window boxes. Personally, I love this time as we enjoy the garden for how it looks and how it makes us feel while we’re out there. But which jobs can you be doing during this month?

Chelsea Chop? Hampton Hack!

While we’ve had a real mixture of warm weather and pouring rain, our gardens have really burst fully into life, but with this perfect storm of weather can come one negative! It’s fantastic to have lush, green gardens but this early growth from our perennials can sometimes mean that they peak too soon, or they can put on one almighty show and then disappear. This first wave of growth does come with big blooms, but not always that many.

One method that gardeners adopt is something called the Chelsea Chop where you cut back most perennials (such as Phlox, Achillea, Asters, Campanulas, Rudbeckia, Sedums, Heleniums and more…) in May, around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show. However – if you missed doing this then, you could also do it in early July at the same time as the Hampton Court Flower Show and this is known as the Hampton Hack. It’s as simple as cutting these plants back by about half, and your reward will be many more flowers! The flowers you’ll get will be smaller but there will be more of them to cut and bring indoors.

Sow biennials

Now is the ideal time to get ahead in your garden by sowing biennial seeds. These clever plants grow their roots and leaves in the first year (this year), then flower and seed in the second. It’s like setting up a little surprise for your garden next year and it’s the perfect way to think about how you’d like your garden to be this time next year.

Start by picking your favourite biennial seeds – foxgloves, sweet williams and wallflowers are all fantastic choices. Find a sunny spot in your garden and give the soil a good rake to make it nice and crumbly. Sprinkle the seeds thinly on the surface, then cover them lightly with a bit of soil or compost. It’s easy – no need to be too precise. You can also do this in pots and seed trays if you’re not sure where you want them to go yet.

Keep the soil moist, but not soggy and in a few weeks you’ll see little green shoots popping up, which is always exciting. When the seedlings are big enough to handle, usually by late summer, you can transplant them to their final spots. Choose places where you want a splash of colour next year. By next spring and summer, your biennials will reward you with stunning blooms.

Wet, wet, wet!

With the wet weather we’ve had you’d be excuses for thinking your pots and containers are watered thoroughly enough, but that sometimes isn’t the case. Often, the rainwater will run down the inside of our pots and not reach the middle, where the roots usually are, thoroughly enough.

First things first, remember that container plants need more water than those in the ground because they dry out faster. So, keep an eye on them, especially during hot, sunny days. The best time to water is early in the morning or late in the evening. This way, the water has a chance to soak in before the sun gets too fierce. When you water, make sure to soak the soil thoroughly. A light sprinkle won’t do – you want the water to reach the roots. Keep pouring until you see water coming out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot and then stop.

Speaking of drainage, make sure your pots have good drainage. If the water can’t escape, your plants could end up with root rot, which is a big no-no. If you’re using saucers under your pots, empty them regularly so the roots don’t sit in water.