Gardening: Jobs to do

Smiles in the sun

Sow sunflowers. There's a dwarf hybrid called Big Smile that will have you smiling in about 50 days. I'm pleased to report you can get bronze and red varieties too - great for those of us who don't love yellow.

Keep birds at bay

Protect your strawberries from above and below. Slip straw underneath the fruit to prevent it rotting on the damp soil, and net from above to keep the birds out.

Good companions

Put in some companion plants to encourage good bugs and deter others. For example, feverfew deters whitefly. Scatter the leaves over the vege garden. Prostrate rosemary is said to deter slugs and snails. Ants hate tansy.

Boost your citrus

Keep watering and fertilising fruit trees, and be kind to your citrus with a good feed of citrus plant food.