It's the middle of spring, believe it or not, and here are some pointers on getting that garden spruced up for summer, but first a look at this month's featured plants.

The rose Iceberg 'Burgundy' is the latest and most beautiful addition to the Iceberg family.

Rich and beautiful, the Burgundy has the same vigorous growth as the normal Iceberg with a strong resistance to pests and diseases — the flowers have a dreamy honey scent.

Flamboyant Dahlias are highly fashionable, fast-growing and heat-loving plants that produce abundant flowers on sturdy stems.

They are very easy to grow and their flowers, which come in every flower colour except clear blue, range from the miniature size, less than 2cm across to giants the size of dinner plates.

Lower growing, bushy dahlias make easygoing bedding and container plants while the taller varieties will do well in a herbaceous border or in their own garden bed, where their varying colours and heights may be used to the greatest effect to create a stunning and memorable summer spectacle.

This month's gardening pointers:

• Mid-spring is a good time to plant new shrubs and trees.

• Plant up your containers and pots.

• Continue to transplant and plant perennials and ornamental grasses.

• Prune back spring flowering shrubs and trees as their flowers start to fade.

• Pinch back fuchsias to encourage bushy growth.

• Mulch as much as possible.

• Weed, weed, weed. Weeds are growing most vigorously now. Getting them now will mean less weeding later on in the season and you'll prevent weeds from going to seed.

• Maintain a regular programme of deadheading, fertilising and weeding

• Water your garden if it doesn't rain enough, especially your newly planted shrubs and trees.

• Fertilise lawns, watering well after each application.

• Fertilise summer-flowering shrubs like Hydrangeas, Hibiscus and Fuchsias with 3:1:5 or Ludwig's Vigarosa.

• Pot plants and hanging baskets will also need regular feeding and watering.

• Continue to water and feed your summer-flowering bulbs.

What to plant?

• Sow seeds of alyssum, aster, candytuft, cleome, cosmos, dianthus, larkspur, lavatera, lupin, foxgloves, marigold, nasturtium, petunia, portulaca, salvia, scabiosa, sunflower and zinnia

• Plant seedlings like aquilegia, begonia, bedding dahlias, celosia, coleus, dianthus, Gazonas, impatiens, kalanchoe, lobelia, petunia, salvia, verbena and vinca

• Plant Gladioli and Dahlia bulbs, spray with either Ripcord or Malathion to control thrips.