Beautiful flowers, bright green leaves and luscious lawns can really make a garden a pleasure to sit in and entertain friends and family.
So what makes a garden suitable for the summer?
Local garden centres can be a first port of call or the expertise of experienced gardeners, who often open their gardens for the public to view, can be tapped into.
John and Iris Gregory, who live at the Old Barn in Weedon Lois, have a garden which has matured over the past 25 years and contains a variety of hardy plants.
Their house is a converted barn which dates from the 18th Century and is next to the parish church. Their garden is full of frost-resistant plants and varieties which can cope with long periods of dry weather.
Mr Gregory recommended growing clematis and columbines, which require regular watering, and geraniums.
He said: "We also have 20 different roses and more than 30 clematis. My wife has a collection of violas and they are a bit unusual."
He also recommended campanulas, which are bell flowers and can be grown in a variety of locations, and delphiniums, which perform best in a sunny, open site with fertile well-manured soil.
Janet and Bob Cropley, of Hill Grounds, in Evenley, have a two acre garden which is surrounded by a 19th Century yew hedge.
Mrs Cropley said: "Mulch, mulch and mulch again because of the droughts we are going to have. Many tree surgeons are happy to get rid of chippings at no cost because they are desperate to get shot of them. Grass mowings are also good once they have been composted."
She added grey or silver-leafed plants from southern Europe were also good for hot weather while geraniums could be overwintered indoors in pots so they bloomed in spring instead of July.
Mrs Cropley recommended clematis be planted out one-and-a-half inches deeper than they are in their pots. Other summer plants include diascias, ornamental onions, Texas blue bonnets and salvia patens.