Tie in climbing and rambling roses as near to horizontal as possible. This will restrict sap flow causing more sideshoots to grow along the length of stem. Therefore more flowers will be produced.

In colder northern regions, and early in the month, you can still move and plant evergreen trees and shrubs, provided the soil is not waterlogged. They are best moved or planted once actively growing and when there is less risk of cold. In warmer regions, it is best to wait until the autumn, as the weather will soon turn warm and dry, and the plants will have trouble establishing.

In colder areas, you can also still plant container-grown deciduous hedging plants, shrubs, trees and climbers. Stakes and rabbit guards should be put in place at the time of planting to prevent damage to the rootball and bark. Remember that watering and establishment may be problematic as the weather gets warmer and dryer, and you may be better planting in October.

Feed trees, shrubs and hedges with a balanced fertiliser (such as Growmore or blood, fish and bone), sprinkling it over the root area before hoeing into the soil surface. This will particularly benefit young, weak, damaged or heavily pruned plants.

If not completed last month or before, winter-stemmed shrubs such as Salix and Cornus can still be cut back at the beginning of the month. Prune back hard all the previous year's growth to within 1-2cm (0.5-0.75in) of the framework.

Other shrubs that are routinely stooled (cut back hard) in spring, to keep their larger or more brightly coloured juvenile foliage (such as Cotinus and Sambucus), can be cut back this month. You can leave a couple of branches un-pruned if you are reluctant to lose all the height gained last year.

Delay pruning spring-flowering shrubs such as Forsythia and Chaenomeles until after they have finished flowering, otherwise this year's display will be lost.

Prune evergreen shrubs such as Choisya ternata, Prunus laurocerasus, and evergreen Ceanothus.

Remove any frost damaged shoots from evergreens damaged by earlier cold weather.

Remove any reverted green shoots on hardy variegated evergreens, to prevent reversion taking over.

Lightly cut back lavenders to prevent them getting too leggy and woody. Treat Helichrysum (curry plant) and Santolina (cotton lavender) similarly.

Loosen any tree ties that are digging into the bark, or could do so soon as the trunk girth expands.

Take cuttings of your favourite conifers.

Twining climbers (such as honeysuckle and Clematis) need regular tying in and twining around their supports.

Check hardwood cuttings taken last year. They may need planting out or potting on.

Layering is a good way to propagate climbers and lax-stemmed shrubs. Layers should root by next spring, especially if attention to watering is given during dry weather. Examples to try include Philadelphus, Forsythia, Hydrangea and Lonicera.

Pest & disease watch

Put rabbit guards around newly planted trees and shrubs to protect the bark.

Avoid planting new roses in areas where roses were previously growing otherwise the new plants may suffer from replant disease.

Inspect sick looking box and holly trees for signs of blight.

Bracket fungus on trees is more visible at this time of year. If the tree is in poor health it is worth calling in a tree surgeon for a professional opinion.

Phytophthora root rots can cause die back on mature trees and shrubs. Wet winter weather and poorly drained soils are likely to encourage this problem on susceptible woody plants.

Check for damage or cankers on deciduous trees.