Mid-June perfect for tackling lilac

As June continues, it provides the perfect opportunity for horticulturalists to tackle a number of gardening problems, according to sector commentator Anna Pavord.

Writing in the online pages of the Independent, she suggests that green-fingered individuals take the time to tackle overgrown lilac by removing some older branches at ground level.

"This will rejuvenate the bush and encourage the production of fresh young shoots from the base," she explains.

Meanwhile, the rest of the plant should be dead headed.

Elsewhere in the garden, Ms Pavord suggests that celery, celeriac and leeks can be planted out, while kohlrabi, late carrots and beetroot can also be sown.

She also recommends that Rubus tridel Benenden is pruned as soon as it stops flowering.

In related news, sector commentator Helen Yemm recently wrote in the online pages of the Telegraph that over-pruning roses is unlikely to kill the blooms and that in most cases it will simply cause the plant to flower later than it normally would.