February

• Finish pruning fruit trees and apply a winter wash such as Vitax Winter Tree Wash to kill off last year’s pests and diseases.

• Prune summer and winter flowering shrubs. A good quality pair of pruners will give the cleanest cut to protect your plants.

• Check the condition of greenhouses. Repair, tidy and sterilise with Jeyes Fluid if you experienced problems with fungal infections or pests last season.

• Check stakes and ties on all trees and fruit. Loosen, repair or replace ties and stakes as needed and tie in new stems where required.

• Dig up and store any remaining root crops still in the ground.

• Use a fork or a hollow tine aerator to spike lawns. This aids drainage, particularly in areas where water lies or moss often occurs.

• Don’t forget the birds; this can be a very tough time for them to find sufficient food and water. Peanuts and suet products are the most high-energy food sources so are particularly suitable when temperatures are very low.

• Start to sow vegetable plants under glass/cover and begin to prepare seedbeds for sowing directly in to the soil.

• It's time to start ‘chitting’ seed potatoes by standing them on end in a seed tray or egg box with the eyes pointing up. Place the tray in a cool, bright but frost free room to let the new shoots develop ready to plant outdoors in drills or containers when the soil warms up.

• Prune wisteria if its mild, cutting side shoots back to four buds from the main stem.