Let’s start with the Queen I mean Clematis of course. When the bad frosts have gone cut late flowering clematis (those that flower after June) down to about 60cm. (2ft)

Have fun planning your vegetables and flowers chosen from the magazines. If you have never grown vegetables or flowers from seed, give it a go this year. It is really quite simple and great fun.

Any compost left outside will be very cold so bring it into the greenhouse/shed to warm up before use.

Dead head pansies they will bloom again I promise.

Feed beds and borders when frosts have gone, it is a good use of any old unused plant food rather than throwing it away.

Check your plants for any damage or rot, cut out weak or damaged stems

Re-firm any plants that may have been loosened by frost or winds.

It is time to clean greenhouses, tools, staging using one of my favourite products- Jeyes fluid or any other cleaning fluid of course.

Troughs, window boxes and containers will benefit from a clean also….. Jeyes again.

Prune deciduous hedges and buddleia down to mid-calf height (leave buddleia globosa, the orange one untouched but you can remove diseased or damaged stems)

Harvest winter flowering broccoli, leeks and sprouts.

If we have deep frosts that have frozen the pond gently melt the surface with warm water rather than breaking the ice, fish hate and are damaged by the vibrations of the ice being smashed.

Start slug patrols to catch those pesky slugs before they become a real menace.

Always check that greenhouses are correctly ventilated.

Spray almonds and peaches with your preferred fungicidal spray.

This is the last month for deep winter digging

Warm the ground up with cloches or fleece

If we have late snow brush it off evergreens to save the branches from being bent downward and possibly damaged under the added weight.

Also keep off lawns if frozen and do not be tempted to give a hard early cut of the lawn, the first two cuts should be a very light indeed with the mower set on the highest cut.

The big month of March is coming up so enjoy a nice cup of tea.

Happy Gardening to you all.

David Penny