Geums are a cheerful addition to the garden in late spring and summer. The earliest varieties have soft, pastel-coloured flowers and nodding heads  while those that bloom from mid-May onwards come in glorious sweet shop shades and hold their faces up to the sun. These geums will continue flowering for many months.

Geums need moist soil and should be divided every three years to prevent the plants from dying-out.

Good varieties include 'Totally Tangerine', 'Mrs J Bradshaw, which are both orange; yellow-flowered 'Lady Stratheden' and 'Cosmpolitan', which is a recent introduction and has large cream and apricot flowers.

 

TOP TIP

Keep a few lengths of horticultural fleece to hand and use it to cover tender plants and young vegetables whenever a late frost is threatened.

Scottish Gardener:

 

WHAT TO DO NOW

  • Grow the ornamental plant Coleus canina in greenhouses to deter whitefly. The pests are put off by the smelly foliage.
  • Harden off bedding plants for three weeks before planting outdoors
  • Prune Clematis montana after flowering, cutting it back hard if it has become overgrown.
  • Stake plants before they start to flop.
  • Lift and divide congested perennials.
  • Feed tulips with tomato food.
  • Mow grass weekly and cut a crisp edge around the lawn.
  • Hoe off annual weeds and dig out perennial weeds.
  • Earth up potatoes as they grow.
  • Open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days.
  • Trim alyssum and aubretia after flowering.
  • Check plants in containers for signs of vine weevil larvae and treat with chemical or biological controls.
  • Sow summer squash and pumpkins.
  • Transplant Brussels sprouts sown in early spring.
  • Sow purple sprouting broccoli for a winter harvest.