In The Flower Garden

• 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

In The Fruit & Vegetable Garden

• 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

In The Greenhouse

• 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

• 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