LANDSCAPING : Before midday, a flower day brings welcome energy to ornamental borders. Hydrangeas with spent blooms from last year can be tidied up — remove any remaining dried heads cleanly with secateurs to open up the plant. Wisteria benefits from a summer trim now: shorten the long whippy shoots back to five or six leaves to keep the framework neat and encourage next year’s flowering spurs. If you have lavender edging a path, run your hand along the stems — if the flowers feel papery, trim lightly just above the old wood, never into it.
VEGETABLE PATCH : After midday, the leaf day takes over and leafy crops become the focus. Leek seedlings raised under cover since spring are ready to go out: plant at 12 cm in the row, rows 30 cm apart, dropping each plant into a dibber hole and watering in without firming — the soil settles naturally. Swiss chard transplants can go in at 35 cm in the row, rows 40 cm apart; the broad midribs will thank you for a good handful of compost worked into each planting station. Chicory is worth planting out now too, at 30 cm in the row, rows 35 cm apart — it handles summer heat better than you might expect. Basil transplants set out at 25 cm apart in rows 30 cm wide will establish quickly in warm soil; tuck them in a sheltered, sunny spot and water at the base, not on the leaves.