If your hedges have become sparse, or just too big, prune them back hard so they will thicken up as the lower branches sprout new shoots.

Once you have pruned them back, give them a check for pests and disease. White scale is abundant in this area, especially on certain lilly pilly plants.

Give white scale a spray with white oil in the late evening. Keep an eye out for borers as they will cause whole branches to die off. Their tell-tale sign is small holes in the branch with sawdust around it.

The best way to get rid of them without harsh chemicals is to remove the affected branch from the base of the trunk. Yellowing of older leaves on Gardenias is a sign of magnesium deficiency due to heavy flowering and should be treated with a weak solution of Epsom salts - 1 tablespoon to 4 litres.

Use a drip line to water your vegetables as watering them from above can cause powdery mildew once the humidity picks up, especially with plants like squash, pumpkin and zucchini.

When planting tomato seedlings, take the lower branches off and bury them up to where you took the leaves off. Roots will form along the stem of the plant making the tomato plant a lot stronger.

As the tomato plant grows, make sure to cut off any leaves that touch the ground to stop any soil born disease.