Blackberries, loganberries and tayberries can be propagated now using a technique called tip layering. Bend a healthy, flexible young stem down to the ground, then, after digging a 4in-deep hole, place the tip inside. (If necessary, hold the tip in position with a small wire hoop.) Backfill the hole with soil. For the next few weeks, keep the soil moist, to encourage new roots. A young plantlet should soon emerge. In spring, sever this plantlet from the parent plant and transplant elsewhere.

Aquilegia vulgaris(Granny’s bonnets) is an old-fashioned cottage-garden perennial with architectural grey-green leaves and white, pink, purple or red flowers in the first half of summer and. Once the flowering display has finished, the spent stems can be cut back. This will stop the plants self-seeding around the garden. Alternatively, leave a few of the stems in place, so the plants can produce seeds. Collect these when ripe, sow in trays in late summer or early autumn (or spring), then leave to germinate in a cold frame.

Ants can be a problem in summer. To keep them out of greenhouses and your home without using poison, put Barrier Glue (www.greengardener.co.uk ) in a continuous line around doors and window frames.

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