Fresh off the back of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last month, you may be inspired to do the ‘Chelsea Chop’, which is a way of shortening perennials that can become ‘leggy’. It promotes smaller, later, but an increased quantity of flowers.

You can try this on lots of plants, including Rudbeckias, Sedums, Asters, Echinaceas and Heleniums. You could also cut back half the stems and leave the other half, thus lengthening the flowering display. Just have a go and see what you can achieve – it only takes a bit of confidence.

Separate and replant shop-bought herbs

If you don’t have the time or patience to sow your own herbs, you can use the crowded plastic pots from the supermarket and, carefully separating them, replant in fresh compost in small pots, two or three plants in each. Keep them well-watered through the warmer months.

Give box hedges and topiaries their first trim in early June. Use sharp shears (or hedge-trimmers on long runs of hedging). Keep a lookout for box blight or the signs of the box tree caterpillars, both a real problem last year. If you have had enough of fighting off the ravages of box tree caterpillars, you could replace box hedging with something else. Ilex crenata is a good substitute as it is evergreen with a small leaf and can be clipped neatly if required.

This is a good time to sort out your long-term pots in the garden. Repot into slightly larger pots – don’t put directly into a huge pot from a small one, as the plants don’t grow well. Don’t use pots that curve inwards at the top either for these long-term plantings, as they are next to impossible to remove the rootball without breaking the pot.

The very big pots are impractical to empty and redo, so with these you can scrape off 10cm or so of soil and top up with fresh soil – something like John Innes No.3. Use slow release plant food pellets to make sure the plant is being fed, and refer to the instructions on the packets as to how many pellets you need.

Thin out delphiniums

It is also a good idea to thin out some of the stems of plants such as delphiniums and phlox at this time of year. Take out about a quarter of the weakest ones at the base – this will ensure the remaining stems will be stronger.

Look at your downpipes from the guttering and see if there is any way you can fit a water butt to help conserve the water from your tap. Butts are available now that are very slim and will fit in small spaces. Every little helps when keeping your garden hydrated in the summer months.