NOW is the time to prepare for next year's spring display. Seeds of wallflowers, forget-me-nots and cushion daisies should all be sown during the next two or three weeks. However, consideration should also be given to winter-interest hanging baskets and patio planters.

While some of the flowering plants recommended for these are seed raised and must be sown immediately, others are perennials which can be easily divided. Amongst the seed-raised kinds try pansies, violas and coloured kale. The modern kale varieties Northern Lights White and Northern Lights Rose are especially useful for winter planters and universal pansies are wonderful in hanging baskets.

Seeds of all these varieties should be sown now in a good compost in pans or trays and placed in a cold frame which can be shaded on very hot sunny days. Violas and pansies become very distressed if subjected to prolonged intense sunshine, particularly when growing in trays, pots or small modules. In damp weather watch out for slugs and, as a precaution, scatter weatherproof slug pellets freely amongst the young plants.

This also applies to any of the perennial plants such as ajuga, heaths and ivy which can be propagated now to provide planting-size stock for the autumn containers. Amongst the ajugas the purplish leafed Burgundy Glow is excellent for winter foliage effect, along with the appropriately named Multicolor and Metallica. The smaller heaths such as Ruby Glow and King George are the most useful for containers and baskets, together with restrained ivies like Green Ruffles and the variegated Anne Marie.

Apple and pear fruitlets are beginning to form now. During the coming weeks, many of these will fall off. This is known as the June drop and is Nature's way of shedding surplus fruitlets. Unfortunately, this is not always completely satisfactory for, inevitably, some clusters of fruit remain crowded. When you are satisfied that the drop has taken place, any crowded fruits that remain must be thinned to permit the remainder to develop properly.

Strawberry picking will shortly be in full swing. If the weather is dry, fruit size can be enhanced by regular watering, ideally in the cool of the evening. Raspberries respond to a similar kind of treatment, as do loganberries, tayberries and the Japanese wineberry.

Leek planting must be completed immediately and successional sowings made of salad crops and white or gold turnips. The yellow fleshed variety Golden Ball is particularly good for summer sowing. The last summer sowing of peas must also be made now. Choose a fairly mildew-resistant variety like Kelvedon Wonder.

Cucumbers under glass must be shaded and afforded as humid an atmosphere as possible. As the flowers are produced, the male ones should be removed to prevent pollination. Male blooms are easy to recognise as they have no embryo cucumber behind the flower, the main characteristic of the female blossom. Allowing fertilisation to take place leads to bitter swollen fruits that are unpalatable.

WHAT'S NEW

Novia is a creamy-coloured, fragrant almost thornless hybrid tea rose which is shortly to be introduced from Holland.

Thai Beauty is a lovely pink-flowered curcuma plant. A new houseplant closely related to the ginger.

Jubileo is a classical white-flowered lily with a rich fragrance. It is ideal for cutting for indoor decoration.

Q My roses are starting to flower, but the individual blossoms are opening and then turning brown. Is this a disease, if so how do I cure it?

A It is not a disease, it is caused by the excessively wet weather we have experienced recently. Cut off the brown soggy blooms and the new buds should open normally.

Q My gooseberry bushes are covered with a white deposit which can be rubbed off? What is it and how can I control it?

A This is American Gooseberry mildew, a troublesome fungal disease. There is little that you can do to cure it now, but you can prevent it from occurring next season by spraying very early on, immediately the leaves emerge, with a systemic fungicide.

Q I have some large white mushrooms appearing on my lawn. Are they going to cause trouble and how do I get rid of them? Are they fairy rings?

A No, fairy rings are small greyish-brown toadstools. What you have are probably mushrooms and will not cause any problems to the lawn. Drenching the area where they are growing with armillatox should get rid of them.