This is the Down To Earth suggested garden diary which will walk you through the gardening year, month by month, offering tips and ideas to help you get more from your garden.

January

• Dig over vegetable plots and incorporate manure
• Repair and re edge lawns
• Plan vegetable crop rotation for coming season
• Cut back grasses and other perennials which have been left for winter interest
• Remove old leaves from Helleboures to expose flowers
• Lift and divide Herbaceous Perennials to increase stock and revive tired plants
• Prune Apple and Pear trees

February

• Prepare vegetable seed beds and sow some vegetables under cover
• Prune winter flowering shrubs that have finished flowering
• Divide Snowdrop bulbs
• Prune Wisteria
• Prune evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges
• Dead head winter Pansies and other winter flowering bedding
• Improve drainage of heavy soils by incorporating organic matter
• Mulch borders with organic matters to surpress weeds and insulate plant roots
• Top dress borders with balanced fertiliser to feed perennials as they grow back
• Order catalogues for spring planting of summer flowrering bulbs and plants