Many shrubs and trees can be allowed to grow without regular pruning and still maintain regular growth and a beautiful shape.

However, on occassion you may need to remove dead or reduce a plant that is sprouting new growths in unwanted locations, improve the shape or the plant (particularly bushy plants) or keep the plant in a healthy state to produce more flowers and/or berries.

Some shrubs, if left to their own devices can continue to grow from where the growth ended the previous season, this can mean that they become top heavy with a bare base of no foliage or flowers.

There are still plenty of bulbs to be planted in September!

Now is the time to plant your spring flowering bulbs such as: Daffodils, Crocus and Hyacinths.

Summer flowering bulbs such as Aliums and Crocosmia can now also be planted ready for next year.

If you are planning on planting your bulbs in containers with little drainage, remember to use bulb fibre instead of your usual compost.

Now is the perfect time to scarify the lawn and remove dead grass, moss and thatch that has built up over the year.

Removal of unwanted competition in your lawn allows for new growth.

You may want to follow up this process with a top dress of sandy loam soil and an over-seed of amenity grass seed – you should use a lawn levelling rake to ensure even coverage. However, these can be expensive so a tarmacking rake used upside down is a good alternative.

Once the new seed has been fed and established this will lend itself to a more level and luscious lawn.