These nine secrets will take your garden from pretty to amazing – with very little effort.

1 Trim the lower branches of some trees in order to let in light for your shade-loving underplantings.

2 Neaten creepers that are overgrown and flowering with sharp, sterile clippers.

3 Protect your soil from the midsummer heat by spreading a 5cm layer of mulch across flower beds.

4 Camellia buds form now for a winter bloom. Water once a week because if the roots dry out, buds may abort and fall off. Spread mulch to conserve moisture.

5 Perennials, such as cannas, dahlias and agapanthus need to be watered regularly in dry weather. Scatter a handful of general fertiliser around each clump of cannas, and feed the dahlias with a liquid fertiliser. Water thoroughly.

6 January is the month of destiny for roses, so give each rose bush a handful of rose fertiliser and water thoroughly after application.

7 To help your roses cope with the intense heat, mulch them with very thick layers of compost and then soak them deeply every four to seven days.

8 Neaten climbers like bougainvillea regularly, snipping with a pair of sharp, sterile clippers.

9 Protect your soil from the heat with a reliable mulch like compost, bark chips or pine needles.

REMEMBER Digging around the roots of roses is fatal in midsummer – keep your rose garden a ‘no dig’ zone.

Source: Dailyfix staffer