What to do in the garden this week:

Flower Garden

• Prune back shoots on mophead and lacecap hydrangeas to a pair of buds
• Trim all foliage from barrenwort (Epimedium) before flowers start to develop
• Plant lilies in pots
• Prune mahonia, removing old stems to make room for new growth
• Lift and divide congested clumps of snowdrops when in leaf, also known as 'in the green'

Fruit and Vegetable Garden

• Plant shallots outside into well-prepared soil
• Sow mustard and cress in a pot on the kitchen windowsill for a quick crop
• Use netting and bird scarers to protect fruit bushes from hungry birds, which can strip off swelling buds
• Prune side shoots on trained forms of gooseberry back to two or three buds
• Sow the following crops in pots or trays in the greenhouse, ready to transplant outside later: Brussels sprouts, spring cabbage, cauliflower, onions, leeks, lettuce and salad leaves

Greenhouse

• Hand pollinate the flowers of peaches and nectarine, with a soft brush
• Cut off hippeastrum flower heads, leaving the stalk
• Sow summer-bedding plants in trays in a heated propagator or in the greenhouse
• Plant dahlia tubers in trays to encourage shoots to develop, which you can use as cuttings
• Pot on houseplants and ferns into slightly larger pots
• Insulate the greenhouse with polythene to improve insulation and seal windows

Around the Garden

• Fix nesting boxes for birds to suitable trees around your garden
• Service petrol lawn mowers and power tools
• Keep indoor azaleas well-watered with rainwater
• Make fat cakes and hang them among roses to encourage bluetits to feed off overwintering pests
• Clear away old plant debris from around the margins of ponds, and scoop out leaves that have fallen into the water

Andrew