We've had ridiculously hot weather here in Melbourne over the past few days - we'll be seeing a rollercoaster of hot and cold weather over the next month or so, so if you have a young garden, it's important to keep an eye on things:

- if hot temperatures are being forecast, give gardens a deep watering either the evening before or the morning of the hot day

- bulbs and some other annuals may behave erratically with the fluctuations in temperature - give them a good dose of Nitrosol or Seasol each week to help them along

- hot, windless days are ideal for treating weeds with the appropriate herbicide - give plants a watering the evening before, and spray first thing in the morning

And finally - this summer is going to be a hot one, so mulch your trees and shrubs with well-rotted manure (sheep is best, as it's less likely to interfere with soil pH), then a good deep soaking, then follow that up with a thick layer of mulch. Be sure to keep mulch away from stems and trucks.