Phew! That about sums up the temperature out in the garden these days and, as we all know, both temperatures and humidity are set to rise over the coming weeks when even an illusion of coolness is a priceless asset indeed.With visible waves of heat shimmering over any paved, cemented or otherwise surfaced garden areas and pathways, this is the time when shaded areas really come into their own. Even more so if these shaded areas, especially those in the moving, dappled light naturally filtered through protective tree leaves, are havens for shade loving plants and, it goes without saying, for humans too as those of you who have had the foresight to create such havens are well aware.

For those of you who have not, however, got round to making the most of shady spots then this month is the perfect time to get on with what should, bearing high temperatures and load shedding in mind, be considered an essential task even though you are only liable to seek solace there either in early morning or around sunset and after.

The whispering shade of trees, irrespective of the tree variety, height and spread, is just perfect in which to create a paradise of foliage plants and these can be grown directly in the ground or in a, preferably artistic, array of clay — not plastic — pots. Grass rarely grows properly in the shade of trees but if you prepare the soil correctly, many foliage plants, and some flowering plants, do. Here are just a few examples of what can be grown beneath trees: Acalypha, Alocasia, Anthurium, Amaryllis, Aralia, Caladium, Chlorophytum, Clerodendron, Coleus, Croton, Duranta, Eranthemum, Hedera, Maranta, Monsteria, Orchids, Panix, Peperomia, Phlyanthus, Ravenia spectabilis, Tradescentia, Zebrina and, providing that they are sheltered from hot, drying winds, then a wide range of very attractive ferns too.

If you are able to create a slightly raised bed on top of the existing earth beneath a shade tree, then this would be ideal. All you need is enough bricks or other available retaining material to form a low wall to contain the soil. Soil should be a mix of 50 per cent sweet earth, 25 per cent river sand and either 25 per cent old, well rotted, organic manure or homemade organic compost if you have it. Work out exactly where to put each plant before starting to put them in the ground as, if you enthusiastically just set to, you might well find that what you thought looks very nice at the front, may turn out to be something tall growing which should have obviously been planted at the back.

When purchasing your shade loving plants check their credentials with the nursery man: depth of soil needed, height and width at maturity and watering requirements as well. The same soil mix is suitable for the shade plants grown in pots too. Orchids though will need different growing conditions, each according to the selected species, and these may be happiest either planted directly into cracks in the tree trunk or in pots hung from its branches, again depending on the species.

Talking of hanging things from tree branches — if you are lucky enough to have a large enough, strong enough tree in your garden then check it out and see if it is suitable to hang a hammock from…now there is a wonderful idea indeed!

Elsewhere in the garden this month: It isn’t too late to put in some sunflower seeds, tithonia, cosmos — do try orange ones — marigolds, gaillardia, tons of zinnias and lots and lots of petunias for those pots and hanging baskets please. You might also like to try some coleus seeds, these are particularly at home in pots, or multiply existing ones by taking cuttings of your favourite colour combinations. Growing coleus from seed is simple and very pleasurable in that you have absolutely no idea, unless you have splashed out on named hybrid varieties, what is going to pop up in terms of colour.

Coleus plants, if correct care is taken, can last for years. The main reason that people lose them is by allowing them to flower as then they will seed and die. Flower buds should be pinched out as soon as they appear if you want your coleus plants to last. If you have too many of them then by all means let a few flower and form seed; the blue flower spikes are pretty in their own way and seeds are always good to have and even better to grow.

If you are looking for heat and sun tolerant perennials to brighten up your garden or for pot cultivation then don’t forget the not so humble canna lily. Cannas are especially striking when planted en mass with the bronze leafed orange, red or yellow flowered ones making a stunning impression. Cannas are not at all fussy about soil conditions and will even tolerate quite a high degree of salinity in gardens close to the sea.

In the vegetable department you can continue sowing cucumbers — try to get seeds for white ones if you can — chillies, the hotter the better, bhindi — see if you can track down seed for the purple podded variety — spinach and leaf beet if you have sufficient water for them, French radish, aubergines of all kinds and colours, tomatoes in as many varieties and colours as you can lay your hands on, melons and water melons, lettuce and other salad greens in the shade and coriander too.

This month is also the ideal time to perform a general garden clean up and thus help prevent fungal and other disease and insect pests which can get out of hand soon after humidity soars and the temperature is turned up to full blast. Remove any dead or decaying material from around and amongst your plants and plant pots and thin out or cut back congested growth of plants which have finished flowering. Maintaining air circulation is extremely important if you want to avoid problems with things such as powdery and other forms of mildew. Any diseased plant material should be properly disposed of outside the garden to prevent the disease from spreading to healthy plants. ‘Healthy’ plant debris should, of course, go into the compost bin or on to the compost heap where, in time, it will rot down to provide nutritious food for your plants.

In addition, give your indoor plants a thorough going over now, re-pot any foliage plants which need it and check them all over for the slightest sign of insect infestation and, if you spot anything that should not be there, deal with it accordingly. Important: Ensure that no excess water remains lying in plant pot trays as this would be the perfect place for mosquitoes to breed and, with dengue on the prowl, we do not want that!

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. Answers to selected questions will appear in a future issue of the magazine. This takes time. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail. E-mails with attachments will not be opened. Please note: the writer’s garden is not open to the public.