High summer, in mid-January, is a great time to ask yourself if you have enough shade in your garden and if not, plan what and where to plant to alleviate that problem. Even in smaller gardens, small trees or large shrubs can be trained, by early and continued pruning, to grow with a single trunk, thus creating space to sit under them.

Do your research now, select something appropriate and order it at a local nursey for collection as a bare-rooted tree during winter. Not only will it be less expensive, it will also stand a better chance of survival than being planted during the heat of summer.

January jobs include ensuring fruit trees are getting enough water as the fruits approach maturity.

If the season continues dry, water other plants heavily once a fortnight through the dry times. Use a moisture meter to test the sub-surface moisture or dig down with a trowel to make sure the water has got down to at least 20 cm (6 inches) below the surface.

Don’t water during a hot day, don’t water the foliage and don’t overwater either. Azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias are shallow rooted and you need to keep them well mulched and be careful they don’t dry out or they may die back.

Go out for a stroll around your garden on one of these long summer evenings. Take your secateurs with you and lightly prune, back to the next healthy bud, any small trees or shrubs that don’t produce berries and which have finished flowering. Many native plants and exotics benefit from this treatment now.

Continue to deadhead roses, annuals and perennials to encourage them to continue flowering. When the tall stems of many perennials start to fall away from the centre of the plant, it is time to prune those off and let the new growth at the centre of the plant take over.

This way you will get another flowering during the autumn.

Mark February 22 in your calendar for the first meeting for 2018 of the Armidale Garden Club.