There are a few things to stay on top of to keep your garden looking fabulous now that the last of the spring bedding plants would have finished and you start to get your home ready for the holidays and outdoor entertaining. Connect and share your garden by using the #SummerGardening on Twitter or Facebook or follow the hashtag to see what others are posting for this summer.

Here are some of the things we have our eye on this month :-)

New Agapanthus

Agapanthus have become quite collectable over the past few years with new varieties regularly being released. The growers are constantly trying to find plants that flower more, have more unique colours and that grow better than the traditional old varieties. The range of two-tone Agapanthus has continued to grow. "Enigma" is a tall flowering variety while "Twist" is a medium spiked flowerer.  To crown the two-tone selection Agapanthus "Queen Mum" has the largest head of flowers on a strong upright stem. The new varieties make a striking statement in containers in full sun.

Pink Angel Wings

Plectranthus Chemenii is a versatile shade plant that flowers from November right through to May in shade or semi-shade. We love them. They grow with little fuss and if protected from extreme cold in winter will grow for a few years. They do well as a middle of the bed perennial or planted below a standard or lollipop where they will create a carpet of colour with their glossy green leaves and pink flowers. Plectranthus are called angel flowers because the individual flowers look just like an angel.

Be on the lookout

Its summer bug time and the three most prevalent in our local area are the Mole crickets, Clivia worm and Christmas beetles.
With the rain the Mole crickets are spreading like crazy identified by a rolling sound they make at night, the damage to lawns is visible by the lawn becoming loose and thin in patches as they burrow just beneath the surface. ZERO Molecricket insecticide is the best product to sort them out. Feed with 7:1:3 to get your lawn looking great after all the rain.

Clivia worm attacks the Clivia leaves this time of the year by burrowing through the leaf all the way into the base of the plant and it can kill your plants. The Christmas beetle eats lace like holes into the leaves of Roses, Fuchsias and Arums. They only come out in the early evening and can make your plants look quite unsightly. Because of the nature if these two bugs we recommend using a systemic insecticide - Efekto Plant Protector, as this goes into the plant with a residual of a few months and kills of anything that eats your plant.

Perennial glory days

Hemerocallis the name for Daylilies is derived from two Greek words meaning day and beauty. Daylilies have been cultivated for thousands of years. 
There are many varieties in a wide range of flower colours which have made them quite collectable and every year more varieties are added to the range. Ideal perennials with many landscape uses such as specimen plants in the garden or massed to stabilize a slope or to act as a carefree ground cover. The flowers continue during the heat of the summer and each daylily plant produces an abundance of flower buds that open over a long period of time. They will grow in full sun to a slightly semi shade position. Peak daylily bloom time is from November to mid January.

Low down on Summer Lawns

Continue feeding your lawn every 6 to 8 weeks with Sudden Impact for Lawns, a new organic Lawn fertiliser from Neutrog. The same guys who make Bounceback. This crumble fertiliser will dissolve quickly and move into the soil where it is naturally a slow release fertiliser. A well-fed lawn will also be less susceptible to weed invasion.  If the weeds get in spraying is the easiest. Use Hormoban - a broadleaved weed killer that will only kill weeds and not your lawn. If the lawn is strong it recovers very quickly after spraying.

Mow the lawn regularly but never remove more than one third at any one time and remember to water well after each feeding.