GENERAL JOBS IN THE GARDEN

• Continue with tidying up around the garden, sweeping up leaves, keeping patio and paths clear.

• Start/continue to get pots, trays, and propagating equipment ready. Clean any stored over winter. Purchase new seed trays, pots, root trainers and propagators.

• Top up any food and water supplies for the birds.

• Continue to plant trees and shrubs as the weather allows.

• Prune winter flowering shrubs that have finished flowering.

• Prune summer flowering shrubs that flower on new wood.

• Prune hardy evergreen trees and shrubs.

• Prune jasmines and late flowering clematis.

• Re-pot or top dress shrubs in containers.

• Prune off old stems of herbaceous perennials.

• Divide and plant snowdrops. Now available in store.

• Check on stored chemicals. Make sure bags aren’t split. Discard any that have been lying around for a long time. Be careful how you dispose of them. Take this sort of material to the local authority waste site.

• Apply organic fertilisers such as seaweed meal, blood, fish and bone or pelleted chicken manure, around the base of plants. This will boost the plants after the long winter. Spread and then fork in.

• Start off dahlia tubers by filling a shallow tray with compost and set the tubers on top. Alternatively plant up individually up in pots. Place in good light which will encourage them to shoot. If you did not store any tubers over winter, invest in new stock, currently in store. A whole range of different types and colours of dahlias is available.

• Continue adding to your compost bin any vegetable food waste, chopped vegetation, paper and leaves. Keep turning your heap as this will speed up the decomposing rate.

• Plant up some containers, to brighten up your front door or porch. Use the wide choice of pre-potted spring bulbs now available; add a few small shrubs or a little conifer for a bit shape and design.

STAR PLANTS IN THE GARDEN

CAMELLIA. This is a strong-growing evergreen shrub of upright growth. The striking green foliage has beautiful peony like flowers. A whole range of different colours and varieties are currently available.

EARLY CROCUS. Crocus tommasinianus. This is a robust, cormous perennial. It produces in early spring , slender goblet-shaped flowers. They come in white, lilac and a red-purple colour.

HELLEBORES. This is an upright evergreen perennial bearing beautiful flowers from white, cream, pinks and purple. A fantastic selection of Harvington Hellebores , grown by a small family run nursery is available in stock now in the plant department. The colours, range and the delicacy of the flowers are stunning. Plant now!

EUONYMOUS. A hardy, brightly coloured shrub looking good at this time of year.

LAURUSTINUS. Viburnum tinus. This is a bushy, moderately vigorous evergreen shrub. It bears clusters of perfumed white flowers with attractive green leaves and black berries.

CLEMATIS. Clematis cirrhosa. An evergreen early flowering clematis, bearing cup shaped cream flowers.

HARDY CYCLAMEN. Low clump forming winter flowering hardy cyclamen. They produce reddish pink flowers which self-seed, forming colonies within time.

DWARF IRIS. A small sturdy perennial bulb that looks good in rock gardens and containers.

THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN

VEGEATABLES BEING HARVESTED THIS MONTH

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celeriac, celery, chard, chervil, chicory, endive, kale, leek, parsnip, spinach, swede, turnip, winter radish, bay, curry plant, horseradish, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, winter savoury.

WHAT TO DO IN THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN

• If you have an allotment or an area in the garden put over to vegetables, carry on with your digging and preparation. The weather to date has been mild and a huge bonus, make the most of it, as we never know what the British weather will bring.

• Continue to compost, turning your heap regularly.

• Prune autumn fruiting raspberries. They are different from summer fruiting ones as they fruit on the current year’s growth. Summer fruiting raspberries fruit on last year’s growth.

• Plant bare rooted cane fruits, e.g. raspberries, blackberries and hybrid berry canes. Prepare the soil by digging a trench and adding plenty of organic matter. Plant raspberries about 45 cm (18in) apart and blackberries about 1.5 m (5ft) apart. Prune newly planted canes back to about 22cm (9in) from the ground.

• Mulch fruit trees with well- rotted manure or garden compost. This will keep down weeds and retain moisture.

• Sow outdoors: Jerusalem artichokes, broad beans, chervil and parsnip. Always use fresh parsnip seed to maximise chances of germination. Never sow parsnips on freshly manured soil as they are very likely to become forked.

• Plant out shallots. Preparing the ground first with plenty of organic matter. Plant 15-18cm (6-7in) apart in rows the same distance apart. Plant with the bulb tip just beneath the surface. Watch the birds as they do like to pull these up!

• If you have not sown your sweet peas, then get them started now in “root trainers,” specifically designed for deep roots and to cause fewer disturbances to the roots when planting.

• Buy your seed potatoes and start “chitting” them now by placing in egg boxes, eyes facing upwards. Now is the time to purchase your potatoes, as the longer that you leave it the choices will lesson.

• As the month progresses, propagation can begin in earnest. For a lot of seeds you will need a higher temperature at this time of year, so a heated propagator can pay dividends. Most seeds germinate at 13˚C but others such as cucumbers, aubergines and tomatoes need a temperature of 18 ̊C.

• Sow peas. One method used by many is to sew peas in a piece of plastic guttering. Alternatively sow in modules and keep on a windowsill or unheated greenhouse.

• If not already done, cover rhubarb with a rhubarb forcer.

Makes 8 pancakes.

Harvest and thoroughly wash 200g of spinach. Finely slice and put in a colander and pour over boiling water and leave to drain. To make your batter, beat 100g flour, 125ml of milk, 125ml of water, 1 egg and pinch of salt all together until smooth. Stir in spinach and cook pancakes as normal in a well-oiled pan. Add any filling you wish to the pancake such as crumbled cheese, salad, cooked chicken, peppers etc.