What To Do Now

Here we'll be bringing you regular updates & checklists to help you keep your garden looking great all year round.

Flowers Checklist

It's time to...

• Cut down willows and dogwoods to their base to promote strong new canes
• Finish taking hardwood cuttings from shrubs, trees and roses
• Plant bare-root roses, hedging, trees and shrubs
• Pick off hellebore leaves with black blotches as this is a symptom of leaf spot disease
• Prune wall climbers away from window frames and gutters
• Lift and divide congested snowdrops when in leaf, also known as 'in the green'
• Prepare plant supports ready to pop into position to support tall or floppy perennials, such as delphiniums
• Prune roses and buddleia during mild weather but complete by the end of February

Fruit and Veg Checklist

It's time to...

• Plant new fruit trees, canes and bushes
• Use cloches to warm soil for early sowings
• Prepare areas for planting asparagus
• Prune apple and pear trees to remove congested, badly placed, damaged or diseased branches
• Cover seakale to force new shoots to develop

Greenhouse Checklist 

It's time to...

• Raise lettuce and salad crops in pots for early pickings
• Water potted fuchsias sparingly to prevent compost drying out completely
• Prune grapevines before they come into growth, when their sap starts rising
• Bring pots of strawberries under cover to encourage early fruiting
• Start sowing seed of summer bedding and crops that need a long growing season to mature, such as pelargonium, petunia, verbena, salvia, lobelia and begonia

Around the garden

It's time to...

• Clean and sharpen knives and secateurs, and spray metal tools with oil
• Put up nesting boxes for birds in suitable trees or on buildings
• Move shrubs growing in the wrong place
• Service petrol lawn mowers
• Search through seed, bulb and nursery catalogues for new plants to grow this year
• Repair wobbly or damaged fences, and treat wooden structures with preservative

With grateful thanks to the team at Gardeners' World magazine for their fantastic advice. Visit www.gardenersworld.com for more checklists and seasonal advice.