The end of July sees a lot of cutting back taking place in our garden. Borders and beds often look overgrown and tatty by this time of year and with several weeks still to go of summer, it seems a good time to get them sorted out.

Hardy geraniums, aquilegia, dicentra, and pulmonaria all came under the secateurs last Sunday - until they fell apart in my hands and I had to resort to a hack saw and a pair of blunt scissors.

The secateurs are several years old and have been sorely abused, being pressed into use for trimming anything from delicate corydalis to whopping stems of over-grown privet, so it is not surprising they finally gave up.

By July, pulmonaria have lost their spring freshness and may be limp and mildewed. Although the cool damp conditions have helped to prevent this happening, it is still a good idea to cut the plants right back now to allow new growth to come through. Copious watering will soon revive the plant and new leaves will appear within days to form a nice fresh clump that will last the rest of the summer. Take the opportunity to remove a few of the outer sections if the plant has become overgrown.

Some of the hardy geraniums also suffer from mildew, especially Geranium phaeum. These can be cut back - new leaves already will be coming through at the base of the plant and plants may even flower again at the end of the summer. Other geraniums will have simply got too big, with older leaves flopping over a large area and covering other plants. These can be trimmed back - I usually just remove the oldest, outer leaves and leave the new central ones in place so the plant doesn't look too bare.

Aquilegia and Dicentra spectabilis also can be cut down, I take mine right back to the base of the plant. It is a good idea to put a label by the plants as a reminder of their place.

Once all this cutting back is finished, the garden will have lots of temporary pockets of space, perfect areas to fill with bedding plants that will give colour until the first frosts. In the sunny spots I have put in annual phlox and portulaca, while impatiens, nicotiana, and lobelia have gone in the shadier places