RHS Gardening Through The Year: Month-by-month Planning Instructions and Inspiration

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As leaves begin to fall, regularly sweep up and don't leave them on grass. Put the leaves to good use by learning how to make leaf mold, which once well rotted, can be used as compost or a mulch. Either way, your September gardening jobs are about getting the garden ready for the months ahead –by collecting seeds, sowing hardy annuals and winter veg and keeping on top of the falling leaves. Once all risk of frost has passed, put out summer bedding plants and pot up some of the best plants for hanging baskets for guaranteed summer color. Now the weather is warmer, slugs and snails are about. Follow our tips for how to get rid of slugs and go on a torch-lit hunt so you can protect vulnerable young plants. Lawns can be left to grow a little longer during hot spells, which will help them through periods of drought and give you more time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Drape netting over blueberries, currants and cherries to keep the birds off. And if you're learning how to grow strawberries, make sure you protect them from birds before the fruits color.

Tender vegetable varieties should now be ready to harden off in the warmer days so they can be planted out after the last frosts.

As the spring weather begins to warm up, April is the time of the year when the garden begins to come to life. The days start to get longer and it's time to get prepping for summer with lots of seed sowing for an abundance of flowers, fruit and vegetables later in the year. If there is a dry spell, water garden planters and make sure they are lifted off the ground so they don't get waterlogged during winter.Keep on top of garden tasks with month-by-month chapters, "Last Chance" reminders, "Get Ahead" tips, and handy to-do lists. This RHS book will make gardening easier by providing helpful guidelines and realistic advice, so you can plan out your time efficiently and effectively. June is a glorious month in the garden, with more lush growth than at any other time of the year and any new flowerbed ideas will begin to take centre stage. Following the best methods for how to get rid of weeds now will mean you can reap the benefits during summer. Spend some time repairing bald patches of lawn by following our tips on how to plant grass seed. Keep the soil moist while the seed germinates. This is the time of year when the garden gets busy! As the risk of frost subsides, bedding plants are ready to bring instant color to the garden, while everything seems to rapidly grow as the weather warms up.

It's an important time to stay on top of spring lawn care too, cutting grass regularly and watering during dry spells. Investing in the best lawn mower will help you make light work of this task in your monthly gardening calendar. Lift and divide established clumps of rhubarb to renew the plant and get more. Sections taken from the outside of the plant are better than those from the centre. Sow biennials for next year such as wallflowers, honesty, foxgloves, Sweet Williams, forget-me-nots and Canterbury bells. It's also the time of year when autumn planted bulbs display their glory. If you followed our advice on when to plant tulip bulbs, they will now be the stars of the show. The days are noticeably getting shorter now and there is a chill in the air, signalling the sign of fall. It's a time when the leaves begin their glorious show of color and is one of the most stunning times in the garden.

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Collect seed heads from the garden. The best time to do this is when the seed heads or pods have ripened and are dry and brittle. Gather them on a dry day, ideally after a rain-free spell, as they need to be completely dry when stored or they will go moldy. Achieve a luscious garden all year round with this best-selling, easy-to-follow guide for novice gardeners from BBC Gardener's World writer Ian Spence.

Most trees should be pruned in winter, but cherries, plums and damsons are best trimmed in summer to prevent silver leaf disease. This month, our gardens begin to react to the lengthening days, with flowering daffodils and fat buds of blossom on the best flowering trees preparing to erupt.

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If you're learning how to grow potatoes, earth them up regularly as the foliage grows, keeping any tubers well covered. Shrubs with vibrant new growth fill the gap between spring bulbs and summer perennials and there’s plenty to enjoy at lower level, including alliums, foxgloves and newly planted tender plants, while scent is provided by philadelphus, wisteria, roses and the first of the sweet peas. The next three months are the busiest in the productive garden, for sowing and planting, and there’s nothing more summery than harvesting your veg and cut flowers! This month is one of the busiest in the monthly gardening calendar so follow our simple steps to keep your plot looking good this month.