Peter Dowdall: What to do in the garden before setting off on holiday

Because your room outside can change quite a lot in 10 days 

Containers need special attention because they are always more vulnerable than plants in the ground, says Peter Dowdall. File picture

There are few things more annoying than leaving the garden looking lovely in July and coming home a week or two later to find it has either dried out, flopped over, gone to seed or turned into something that looks as if nobody has lived there for months.

A garden can change a lot in ten days, especially during July, as growth is happening at a pace.