GENERAL GARDENING

Recycle your Christmas tree by shredding it for mulch – check to see if your local council offers this recycling service

Repair or replace patchy lawn and re-shape edges

Check any stored tubers of Dahlia, Begonia and Canna for rot or drying out

Currants and gooseberries can be pruned now

Start forcing rhubarb

Plan vegetable crop rotations for the coming season. Select the varieties you intend to grow during the year and buy the seeds

Tidy beds and borders, mulch with well rotted manure, compost or bark and apply a slow release fertiliser e.g. bone meal

To prevent branches snapping remove snow from evergreen trees and shrubs

Avoid walking on your lawn when it is frosty, as this will cause damage

Ventilate the greenhouse on warm days

Do not over water your plants, water only when the compost is dry

Check regularly for moulds & fungus on your plants

Prepare for Spring by Sowing or planting wild flowers

WILDLIFE GARDENING

Put out bird food on the ground, bird tables and in hanging bird feeders

Keep the bird bath topped up and make sure it is not frozen

Make sure a wildlife pond does not freeze over by placing a float on the surface

Plant berrying deciduous trees – a mixture of native and non-natives works well

Put out food for hedgehogs – not bread and milk! Dog food is best but not chicken varieties.

Make a log and/or rock pile to create areas of shelter for wildlife

WATER GARDENING & PONDS

Regularly shake leaves off nets over ponds, or rake out fallen leaves from un-netted ponds

Use pond heaters to keep ponds from freezing over. If you don’t have a pond heater, there are other precautions to prevent freezing over, such as placing floats on the surface of the water

Monitor the water level of your pond, as hard frosts can cause defects in the liners. If the pond has developed a leak keep it topped up and carry out repairs in the spring