August Jobs to do - Countdown to season end

Water evergreen shrubs like camellias and rhododendrons thoroughly this month to make sure that next year's buds develop well and apply a weekly feed of liquid seaweed to aid bud forming

Keep patio container plants well-watered and feed with a liquid fertiliser every fortnight.

Stake tall or top-heavy dahlias and lilies to prevent wind and rain damage. Dead-head lilies for a better flower display next year, take time to look out for lily beetles too

Dead-head annual bedding plants and perennials to encourage them to flower into the autumn and stop them self-seeding, this will keep these in tip top condition

• Cut back faded perennials to keep borders tidy.

• As penstemon flowers fade, cut them back to just above a leaf to encourage more flowers.

• Cut back herbs now to encourage a new flush of tasty leaves you can harvest before the frost.

• Prune wisteria after flowering by removing all the whippy side-shoots from the main branch framework to about 20cm from their base (about five leaves from the main stem)

• Trim any lavender plants after they've finished flowering to keep them compact.

• Collect ripened seeds and store them for next year. Leaving some seed heads in place can be attractive and allows the plant to self-seed in the surrounding soil.

• Mow or sythe wildflower patches now to help scatter established wildflower seeds.

• Take cuttings of your favourite tender perennials such as pelargoniums and fuchsia to propagate them for next year.

• Finish dividing clumps of bearded Iris so they have time to form roots and flower buds for next year before the cold weather arrives.

• Prune climbing roses and rambling roses once they've finished flowering (unless they’re repeat-flowerers in which case leave them).

• Spray ground elder (and other perennial weeds) with a glyphosate-based weedkiller TOP TIP the plants now have plenty of leaf surface area with which to absorb it

• Look out for symptoms of 'clematis wilt' including black discolouration on the leaves and stems of your clematis. Cut out any infected plant material and dispose of it in your household waste, not your garden waste, this also applies to black spot on your roses