• Lightly prune roses this month to encourage a good autumn flush. Leave sufficient foliage to supply nutrients to the plant and prevent sunburn on stems.
• Sow seed of cosmos thinly in situ for colour throughout autumn.
• Don’t prune camellias that are already forming buds for autumn and winter flowering, or shrubs that produce autumn berries.
• Fertilise citrus trees with a general fertiliser; azaleas, camellias and magnolias prefer a fertiliser formulated to suit their needs.
• Lily borers and caterpilliars are active and tunnel into amaryllis, crinums, nerines, clivias and lfafa lilies. Control them with Margaret Roberts Biological Caterpillar Insecticide.
• Give evergreen hedges a good trim, sloping slightly inwards so the base is slightly wider than the top; this allows water and sunshine to penetrate to the root area.
• Container-grown plants need frequent watering, sometimes twice a day in dry weather. Fertilise regularly to encourage continuous flowering.

Source: Home magazine