SOME may consider them gaudy, others associate them with children's gardening but sunflowers do cheer up the summer garden with their huge yellow flowers above fantastically tall stems.
The sunflower (helianthus annuus) is traditionally single and yellow but there are double and red varieties, dwarfs and giants, growing up to 10ft tall.
They can be sown from seed in April, preferably in the greenhouse or on a windowsill, and are an ideal starting plant for children. Transfer them to the garden after the last frosts.
They will need support early on as the heavy flowers will break the stems in wind or rain. Keep them well-watered in summer.
YOU CAN'T BEET THEM, SO JOIN THEMBEETROOT harvesting usually runs from early summer to mid autumn, although it can be harvested at any stage of growth, depending the size of the beets required.
To store beetroot, place it in a wooden box laid in a bed of loose straw or sand and cover it with straw or sand. The box should be placed in a cool, dry, frost-free area such as a garage. Generally it should survive for a few months in reasonable shape.
While red is the most popular colour, there are also golden varieties such as Burpee's Golden and white ones.
THIS WEEK'S JOBSTake cuttings of new shoots of camellias, rooting them in a gritty compost in a covered propagator.
Clean pond pump filters to ensure they don't get clogged up with algae.
Harvest Japanese onions planted last autumn.
Cut back delphiniums to encourage new growth and the chance of a second display.
Obtain cabbage seed for sowing later in the month or in early August, to provide crops next spring.
When gloxinias finish flowering, remove faded blooms and gradually withhold water until the leaves wither. Then stand the pots in a dry position where the bulbs can rest until urged back into growth next spring.
Feed trees and shrubs that are performing badly with a high-nitrogen liquid fertiliser.
Cut culinary herbs and dry or freeze to use later in the year.
Feed tomato plants regularly.
Make sure leafy vegetables such as lettuces and spinach, as well as fruiting crops, peas and beans, are watered sufficiently.
Top up garden pools to replace water lost through evaporation.
