HYGIENE in the garden is always important, particularly around stone fruit, such as apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums and cherries.
So, once they have finished fruiting, it's time to go around the base of every tree and pick up fallen fruit.
Pick any rotten fruit left on the tree and put the whole lot in a black plastic bag and leave out in the sun for a few days so that the fruit cooks in the sun.
This clean up prevents the spread and overwintering of spores from fungal diseases such as brown rot.
Excite your senses
PLANT some perfume to enjoy in the garden this time of the year.
Ginger lilies are a clump-forming perennial that does best in a semi-shaded spot and flowers best when it is kept moist from spring until late summer.
The traditional form has creamy yellow flowers (Hedychium gardnerianum) and the white flowered form (Hedychium coronarium) is also highly perfumed.
Both grow to approximately 1.5m high and are great at the back of a perennial border.
Just a world of caution though, if you are dividing or disposing of clumps at any time, be very careful as they are hardy enough to grow easily from rhizomes and can become a bit weedy in moister environments.
Citrus maintenance
GIVE citrus a feed with a fertiliser specifically for citrus and water in well.
Check and see if there is any scale on the tree and treat it with a white oil or pest oil as needed, taking care not to spray when the temperature exceeds 30 degrees or when the plant is stressed due to dry soil.
Spraying any plant with an insecticide or fungicide can be detrimental if the plant is under stress or the ambient temperatures are high.
The same caution applies with fertilising plants.
Always make sure fertilisers go on moist soil and water in well to avoid burning.
Get out those rose glasses
ROSES can be lightly pruned and tidied up now to ensure a good blooming in about seven weeks in the cooler weather of early autumn.
This is often when rose flowers develop the richer hues and more intense colours of all the flowering year. Feed them with a rose fertiliser and water in well.
Where possible, try to water roses in the early morning rather than in the evening, as this helps to avoid fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and black spot.
