Gardeners should be working towards harvesting and garden displays for Christmas enjoyment. As holiday mode takes hold, enjoy relaxing evenings in the garden with a hose in one hand and a drink in the other!

Flower Garden

Sow your favourite seeds such as Ageratum, Cosmos, Cyclamen, Rudbeckia, Marigolds and Zinnia.

A layer of mulch around the base of trees and shrubs will conserve moisture and protect roots from the hot sun.

Lift spring flowering bulbs once the leaves have died down completely and store in a cool dry place.

Remove dead flowers from roses to encourage new blooms.

Plant seedlings such as Chrysanthemum, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Portulace and Salvia.

Water gardens in the evening or early mornings especially plants in containers which will dry out quickly in hot or windy weather.

Container Gardening

Use Waterwise Water Storage Crystals in potted plants to help them survive infrequent watering while you're away on holiday. This can be added without re-potting the plants.

Fill pots with flowering annuals such as Petunias, Marigolds, Phlox or Impatiens for a bright Christmas and summer display.

Kitchen Garden

This is a month of rapid growth so ensure you pay attention to watering, weeding, feeding and spraying.

Apply a layer of mulch around vegetable plants to conserve soil moisture, compost works well.

Plant seedlings of lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, tomato, sweetcorn, beetroot, pumpkin, courgette, capsicum, eggplant, melon, cucumber and gherkin.

Feed tomatoes once a week with a fast acting liquid such as Tui Organic Seaweed Tonic. Remove laterals (side growths) on tall tomato varieties as they grow and ensure they are firmly staked. Water regularly.

Courgettes and cucumbers can be protected from powdery mildew with FreeFlo Copper.

Protect plants from caterpillars with Diatomaceous Earth.

Lawns

Raise the lawn mower up a level for the summer season. If cut too short, lawns will dry out too quickly.

Water lawns in dry weather and apply fast acting lawn food such as Tui Lawn Force to keep lawns fresh and green.