Loads of our friends ask how we know what to do when in the garden. In these new series of gardening tips posts, each month we will look at the top 10 tips for that particular month. We'll be looking at how to use your flower seeds and vegetable seeds. What to plant out of your gardening gift packs and also some more general gardening tips.

So, in August, what should you be doing?

1. Deadhead dahlias and other perennials to encourage a constant display of blooms

2. Keep camellias and rhododendrons well watered through late summer while their flower buds are forming

3. Trim lavender once flowering is over to maintain a compact, bushy shape, but avoid cutting into old wood

4. Prune roses, removing up to a third of stems that have flowered, and tie the rest to supports

5. Keep pots and hanging baskets flowering by watering and deadheading regularly, and add tomato feed fortnightly

6. Take cuttings of woody herbs, including lavender and hyssop, choosing non-flowering shoots

7. Sow hardy annuals in sunny spots to provide early summer colour next year

8. Set up an automatic watering system for pots and hanging baskets if you're going away on holiday

9. Remove any spent hardy annuals if you don't want them to self-seed

10. Plant autumn bulbs in pots and borders