There are always jobs to be done in the garden but winter tends to be the time when it’s difficult to get out there due to the poor weather conditions. The winter months offer a great opportunity for planning ahead for the following year; if you prepare now by looking through magazines, books and catalogues, your garden will never lack interest.

We stock a wide variety of shrubs that provide interest at particular times of year and winter is no exception. Many types offer scent, shape or colour which means your garden can look great even at this time of year.

• Renovate deciduous climbers and hedges by hard pruning while they are dormant along with a good mulch to protect the roots.
• Protect tender wall climbers and shrubs by placing some fleece over them when heavy frosts are forecast.
• Prune out any dead, diseased or damaged branches from established trees, making sure you cut back to healthy wood. This will also provide more light for any plants growing under trees.
• Take cuttings of various types of shrubs including root cuttings of clerodendrum, aralias and Rhus typhina.

• Harvest winter vegetables when they are ready which include leeks, parsnips, cauliflowers, cabbages and Brussels sprouts.
• It is a good time of year to sow Broad beans as it is said that early sowings will be less prone to attacks from aphids.
• Feed all fruit trees and top dress with well-rotted manure.
• Prune newly planted apple and pear trees by cutting back the leading shoots by two thirds.
• Clear away annual herbs and protect others such as marjoram and rosemary with straw, leaf-mould or shredded bark.

• Finish tidying beds and borders and check any tubers you may have in store to make sure non have rotted.
• Place cloches over early flowering plants such as Christmas roses to bring them on more quickly and also protect the flowers from mud splashes.
• To encourage further side shoots to grow pinch out the growing tips of sweet peas when three pairs of leaves have developed.
• Protect your winter hanging baskets by moving into a porch or greenhouse when severe weather is forecast.

• Try to avoid walking across the lawn as much as possible as it will cause compaction and impede drainage at this time of year when the soil tends to be waterlogged.
• Empty the fuel tanks of petrol driven lawnmowers and look to getting your mower serviced at this time of year when you don’t need it so you are ready for the spring.
• Protect ponds from freezing by placing an inflated ball on the surface to absorb expansion, which could otherwise damage pond walls or linings.

• Prune any dead or diseased branches from established trees and shrubs and cut back wisterias.
• Check newly planted trees for wind damage and make sure stakes and ties are fixed in securely.
• This is the last chance to cut back vines as leaving it any longer could cause any cut surfaces to bleed. Once cut back train the shoots horizontally by tying in to wire supports.
• Now is the best time to take hardwood cuttings of chrysanthemums as they root far more easily.

• Plant out new rhubarb crowns and force established plants by covering with a pot filled with straw to exclude the light.
• Now is the time to harvest winter crops such as Brussels sprouts, winter cabbages, leeks and spinach.
• Check any fruit you may have in store such as apples for any signs of rot and discard to avoid spreading of any disease onto the healthy fruit.
• Prune established fruit trees and lightly prune to provide a better shape any newly planted trees. This can be done to all except stone fruits such as damsons and cherries.
• Cut back new cane fruits such as raspberries to 25cm of the ground.

• To prevent crowns from rotting use a grit mulch around alpines.
• In mild weather lightly fork over the soil between perennials to remove any weeds.
• Plant out any hyacinth or narcissi bulbs you may have had in pots for indoor displays that have now finished flowering.
• If you have a frost-free greenhouse or somewhere light indoors you can now sow carnation and sweat pea seeds along with potting up lily bulbs ready for putting out in the spring.
• Deadhead your winter pansies and violas to ensure they continue to flower well.

• If weather permits continue to spike your lawn to improve aeration and drainage.
• Clear away any fallen leaves from ponds to prevent disease occurring within the water.
• A good time to clean pots with disinfectant ready for spring planting and sharpen up spades and cutting tools along with giving them a good oiling to prevent rusting.

• Prune crab apple trees to shape by removing any inward growing or badly shaped branches.
• Prune out any weak shoots from climbing shrubs.
• Provided the weather is frost free you can give deciduous hedges their first trim by the end of the month.
• Using a propagator with bottom heat you can sow seeds of broom.
• If severe frost is forecast protect early flowering shrubs such as rhododendrons and magnolias with horticultural fleece.
• Once hamamelis has finished flowering cut back to reshape and encourage flowering for the following year.

• Continue to gather winter crops such as savoy cabbage and other brassicas.
• Cover the ground with polythene to enable the soil to warm up which will then allow early sowings of vegetables to be made.
• By the end of the month you should be able to out shallots.
• Make early sowings of carrot in a cold frame.
• Prune newly planted fan-trained stone fruits by cutting back to 30-45cm.
• Use cloches over strawberries to gain an early crop of fruit.

• Check dahlia tubers for any signs of rot and discard any that are no good.
• Finish preparing sites for sowing annuals and biennials by digging and manuring these areas.
• Sow half-hardy annuals such as lobelia and begonias so long as you can provide a temperature of 18-21ºc.
• Plant out bulbs that have been grown indoors in pots such as hyacinths as they may flower again next year in the garden. Make sure you dig in plenty of grit in the planting hole to provide plenty of drainage.

• Avoid walking on the lawn if there is frost or snow present.
• If you don’t have cats then feed the birds from the lawn as this can encourage them to feed off any pests that may be in the lawn such as leather-jackets.
• Sow seeds of bog primulas in compost and leave them outdoors to expose them to frost but try to protect them from heavy rain as at this stage they can cope with the cold but not too much wet.
• Continue to protect pond from completely freezing up and begin to feed fish if the weather is mild.