As the summer weather arrives, gardens across the UK are in full bloom, but with the growth of new flowers also comes excellent conditions for other types of plants to grow. Weeds can be a headache for gardeners, especially if you want your garden to look picture-perfect.

And if your lawn is the centrepiece of your outdoor space, weeds can make things look unkempt and messy no matter how much effort gardeners put in.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advises gardeners to try and stay away from chemical-based weed killers and pesticides where possible to benefit their garden and the wider environment.

Though pulling weeds out at the root is one way to tackle unwanted growth, the experts revealed that how you are mowing your lawn could be the reason weeds are springing up.

"Avoid mowing the lawn very short, especially in summer, as this can weaken the grass and lead to bare patches that allow weeds in," said RHS.

"In summer, with a conventional lawn, mow once a week on average, dropping to once a fortnight, or longer, during periods of drought.

"Flower-rich lawns can be mown every four to six weeks. Long-grassed lawns are best cut once or twice over the summer, usually not before June."

During the summer, the experts advise mowing your lawn to no less than 13 mm in length. They recommend maintaining an average length of between 13 and 25mm. Mowing any shorter can weaken the grass plants and encourage shallow rooting, all of which encourages weeds and moss.

"Close-mown lawns also need more frequent maintenance and feeding," added the RHS.

Regular lawn care can also stop weeds before they even get an opportunity to grow. "Feeding, aerating and scarifying your lawn will encourage the grass to be more vigorous, so it’s more difficult for weeds to get established in the first place," said the RHS.

Aeration is a way of creating small holes in the soil beneath your lawn.

Aeration helps break through piled-up thatch in high-maintenance lawns and reduces lawn compaction, which is one of the leading causes of moss. Scarifying a lawn is simply the process of removing dead thatch.