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Plant of the Month: Galanthus – snowdrops
The Snowdrop has undoubtedly ascended to iconic floral status thanks to its virgin white decoration of weather beaten and barren gardens. It resolutely stands up against the savage and tempestuous winter. To me the sight of the needle like foliage piercing the frost burdened ground symbolises the depths of winter. Snowdrops are best planted ‘in the green’, that is to say while still in full leaf, and while roots are most firmly attached as root disturbance is kept to the minimum. Plant into ground enriched with plenty of organic matter and in sun or dappled shade where soil moisture remains during summer.

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General Tip: Trim Hedges
Once birds have stripped hedges of fruit and seeds you can prune overgrown plants. Hedges containing Hawthorn, Field Maple, Beech, Hornbeam and Elder can be trimmed hard; reducing main vertical stems and drastically shaving side growth. As always, prune dead, diseased and crossing wood out first then trim to shape. Allow the hedge to be broader at the base than at the top, this helps baffle wind and prevents snow breaking open the hedge top. Replant any gaps and include climbers such as Dog Rose, Clematis and Honeysuckle to enrich the appearance and wildlife opportunities.

Ornamental: Next Season Displays
Spend a few moments to browse the delights of seed merchants catalogues for inspiration. There is a dazzling array of species of flowers, fruits and vegetables so it is worth trying a few new challenges. It is also a good idea when ordering cropping plants to note on a calendar the sowing, transplanting and cropping times of all the plants, this will immediately highlight gluts or shortages and pressure points on space in the garden. It will also serve as a reminder to sow your crops when the growing season gets in full swing.

Fruit & Vegetables: Winter Herbs
Many of our favourite herbs such as Mint and Lemon balm retreat back into the soil for protection from winter cold so treat them to a little winter break. If your plants are in pots and containers, trim the old foliage almost to ground level, water and check for slugs them move the pots into a warm glasshouse or conservatory. Keep warm and moist in bright conditions for a regular supply of fresh herbs throughout the cooler months. If your plants aren’t already growing in pots, lift a plant, pot on in a soil based compost and place in the warm for similar results.

Plant of the Month: Hamamelis
It is rare in the plant kingdom for an entire genus of plants to encompass flowering prowess, statuesque habit and glorious foliage but this is easily achieved by those belonging to the Hamamelis clan. These shrubs are perfect for the woodland garden or as border specimens. The key to the survival of all these plants is the inclusion of copious quantities of organic matter into any planting. Try H. ‘Jalena’ for it’s gorgeous winter scent and rusty, copper tinted blooms.

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General Tip: Season table
Go for a walk with the children and collect tree seeds such as hazels, acorns, field maples and conkers. These can be used to decorate a season table, indoors or out to remind you of the delights of each season. We like to put jars of stems and flowers along with stones and pebbles, seeds and any other findings here. Use can also plant some of these seeds to grow free new trees.

Ornamental: New Planting
Review photos taken in your garden earlier in the year to help enrich next year’s display. You should be able to spot any areas that are lacking in height, colour or texture. Take this opportunity to plant new herbaceous perennials, specimen shrubs and trees to improve the show. While the soil is still warm place a thick layer of mulch on the top and your borders will be ready to burst into growth in the spring.

Fruit & Vegetables: Fruit Canes
If you revel at the prospect of easy to grow plants that produce generous quantities of delicious, juicy fruit then explore the more unusual berries. Roughly categorised as the Hybrid Berries, most are a cross between the Blackberry and the Raspberry. Plant in fertile soil in sun or shade. Try the delicious Tayberry for huge fruits, and sweet flavour. Boysenberry is good on dry soils, producing large round fruits in profusion that taste like a blackberry. While in cold gardens grow the Tummelberry that has deep red oblong fruit like a Loganberry.

Plant of the Month: Pumpkins
You cannot ignore pumpkins this month so if you’ve been growing your own then now is the time to start lifting your pumpkins and laying on straw or, even better, a timber frame. By separating the pumpkins from the ground you reduce the risk of slug damage or rot setting in. Leave the pumpkin attached but cut off the surrounding leaves as this helps it ripen and by staying attached it gets a boost of energy which helps the flesh become thicker and therefore a crop that will last through the winter better.

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General Tip: Keep your water warm
Recent research shows that watering plants with a water temperature of 12 degrees and above can help a plant establish quicker, germinate faster, and even flower and fruit up to a month earlier. To create a store of ambient water place a water tank in the glasshouse large enough for your requirement and fill. Keep topped up and allow it to warm up between refills. Use for seedlings, sensitive plants and houseplants throughout winter.

Ornamental: Bulbs
Tulips shouldn't be planted before this month as they perform best when they are planted after first frosts, to avoid soil borne diseases, so you can wait until the end of the month if needs be. If you plant them in containers then keep an eye on them in early spring when the weather begins to warm up as they will need to be watered and fed when in leaf and flower.

Fruit & Vegetables: Garlic
It is still possible in some of the milder parts of the country to plant outside garlic cloves for crops next year. If you plan to do this, make sure you are in a low rainfall area and in free draining soils to ensure the cloves don’t end up rotting in the ground. Alternatively, where the soil and temperature conditions are not conducive plant cloves in modules and place in a cold frame for the winter. They can be safely planted out next March along with other members of their family such as shallots and onion sets.

Plant of the Month: Hippeastrum
Hippeastrum (amaryllis) bulbs are the statuesque and elegant flowers most often seen around Christmas time. They come in an ever increasing variety of colours but by far the most popular are the red and white ones. Plan ahead now for stylish gifts this Christmas and pot up displays to give to friends and family. Flowering will be occur about eight weeks after planting. Terracotta pots of 10-15cm are best, the bigger the bulb the bigger the pot but sit the bulb so only the lowest third is below the compost. Water well and place in a sunny position.

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General Tip: Lawns
One job that will allow you to work up a sweat is to scarify the lawn. The principle is to remove dead and decaying grass leaf litter that accumulates at soil level in the lawn. This can cause moss, damp and fungal problems, weakening the lawn and allowing the ingress of weeds. The solution is to rake the lawn surface vigorously in lines, first in one direction then perpendicular. You’ll be surprised at the amount of compostable material removed, and such rough treatment also helps to break the horizontal stems of creeping coarse grasses, allowing finer lawn grasses the chance to succeed.

Ornamental: Asters
By late summer, when most herbaceous plants have peaked, the Aster steps into the frame. Its dozen or so stems extend up to a metre or more in height. Good border forms include Aster ericoides and Aster frikartii. Each is clothed with a tangle of wire-thin side shoots carrying, amongst the foliage, twenty or more buds - with one plant supporting over 500 in my garden. The flowers, in bud, are lime green, but open to reveal a rich yellow button centre, surrounded by a ring of the purest white or blue strappy petals in the perfect recreation of a daisy.

Fruit & Vegetables: Harvest Apples
Harvest your apple crops as they ripen on the tree. Eat or cook any blemished fruit quickly and set aside unblemished fruit for cleaning and storing. Varieties that ripen later in the season, from this month onwards, tend to be better at storing with some keeping fresh for several months. To store these fruits successfully retain the stalk intact on the fruit, wipe the fruit clean with a moist clean cloth and then wrap in dry newspaper. Place one fruit deep in a tray or old draw and then allow sit in a cool, dry and dark environment. Check fruits weekly for signs of damage or blemishes.

Plant of the Month: Agapanthus
With spectacular displays of late summer flowers Agapanthus is an August star. Evergreen and deciduous, hardy and tender they offer spectacular rewards both on the terrace and in the border. Of the hardiest the ‘Headbourne Hybrids’, can be kept outside. These flourishing balls of true blue to white give excellent height and structure to borders, or as a feature in a terrace tub. When potting up any type of Agapanthus use free-draining, soil based compost and allow the plants to become pot bound as this encourages flowering.

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General Tip: Night Time Adventures
Slugs – most children are fascinated by creepy crawlies so make the most of it and encourage them to hunt for slugs – their help will be invaluable with saving your edible and flowering crops! Use solar powered lights to create an ambient glow in the garden and watch the moths perform their pollinating role. You may even be able to spot bats darting overhead, proving that the garden never sleeps.

Ornamental: Topiary
Sculpted evergreen hedges and topiary specimens of Box and Yew are now putting on plenty of growth. However, their fresh shoots have a tendency to become a little leggy so to ensure these shaped plants don’t lose their crisp form clip now with topiary shears, to encourage plenty of side shoots and a tight compact growth habit. Small leaved plants are best shaped with shears or topiary scissors while large leaved ones are best cut with secateurs to avoid unsightly cuts in the foliage. Spray the plant with water immediately before you cut as this ensures a clean fresh cut and minimum damage to the plant.

Fruit & Vegetables: Soft fruit
Harvest soft fresh fruit such as Raspberries from the garden, or go out and pick your own. Try something a little different if you have an excess and pickle them in rum. Simply throw surplus whole fruits into a large, earthenware jug, then covered the fruit with dark rum before placing a lid on. As more fruits ripen through the season add to the jug and then cover in liquor till the jar is full, it can then be placed in the pantry till Christmas. The resulting syrupy sweet pickle can be spooned out with a generous helping of clotted cream or ice cream. Simply delicious!

Plant of the Month: Roses
Roses in the garden should now offer a boost to the floral tapestry. The early garden forms are undoubtedly responsible for our passionate love affair with the rose, so for a little romance try growing ‘Charles de Mills’, ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ or ‘Gypsy Boy’ as these provide wonderful fragrance and flower.

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General Tip: Glasshouses
As temperatures rise in the glasshouse and conservatory, it is worth maximising the ventilation to reduce the incidence of pests and diseases. Diseases tend to thrive in warm conditions where humidity is high so opening vents and doors regularly increases air flow and reduces humidity. To ensure this happens, even while you are out at work, it is worth fitting wax filled thermostatic vent hinges to vents in the glasshouse, these can be adjusted to suit specific temperature requirements.

Ornamental: Houseplants
Give houseplants a holiday outside. Most houseplants will benefit from a short spell outside during the summer months, helping boost the plants light levels. Often plants that are looking pale and spindly are probably in need of more light. Before putting your plants outside give the leaves a clean, using damp cotton wool to remove dust, this will allow the plants to maximise on the amount of light getting to the leaves. Keep flowering plants happy when they are in full flower feed weekly with a high potash liquid feed.

Fruit & Vegetables: Harvest vegetables
Feed fast maturing vegetables, such as peas, beans and courgettes weekly with a high potash liquid feed. This will encourage flowering. Be sure to keep harvesting these vegetables too as it encourages them to keep producing as the plants goal is to set seed so if you keep picking then the plant will keep trying to produce seed which means more delicious offerings for your table.

Plant of the Month: Lavender
Lavender must be the one true ambassador of traditional English country gardens; its evocative aroma has an ageless beauty that has been at the heart of planting since gardens developed. It has also long been the mainstay of herb gardens, and is used in everything from cosmetics, medical treatments and food. The traditional lilac coloured varieties are the most well known but look out for the more unusual pink and even white flowering forms.

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General Tip: Feed plants
Container grown plants require feeding once a week through the growing season. Check feed for the ratio of nutrients in a product which are indicated by the letters N for nitrogen, P for phosphorus, and K for potassium. Each letter will have a number next to it e.g. N 6: P 6: K 6, which indicates an even supply of nutrients. Plants grown for their foliage thrive on higher levels of nitrogen, such as Box, Hosta, and most grasses so treat with a high nitrogen fertilizer say N14: P5 : K 3. But plants grown for fruit and flower should be treated to a low N but high P and K as these promote root and flower growth.

Ornamental: Deadhead
As the blooms of early flowering plants fade pinch out the tired blooms to encourage the plant to concentrate energies into producing further flowers. I always leave a few flower heads to give me free seed for next season. To collect, place a paper envelope over the bloom, snip off the flower and seal the package. Label the seeds and place them somewhere warm and dry for a few days to remove excess moisture. Then dispose of any chaff and reseal the envelope for later sowing.

Fruit & Vegetables: Harvest salad leaves
Keep sowing crops every few weeks such as Rocket, Spinach, Beetroot, and Peas and use the fresh, baby leaves in salads well into the autumn and winter. It is worth saving the leaves of young carrots that have been thinned from rows, and the young tips of broad beans that are pinched out. Fresh foliage like this is rich in flavour and adds a welcome variation to traditional salad bowls.

Plant of the Month: Alliums
Alliums have become the flagships of our borders in recent years. The architectural plants we employ have clusters of many flowers atop a leafless stem that grow to 150 centimetres in height depending on the variety. Their umbels of stellar beauty make a marked and colourful impression while taking up minimal room among the pastel shades of Old Roses, Lavender and feathery Artemisia. Try growing A ‘Gladiator’ for large spherical blooms or A. Christophii for short stemmed explosions of colour.

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General Tip: Put up bat boxes
Bats are enormously helpful to the gardener as they eat midges and other insects that can often spoil summer evenings in the garden. Give them a helping hand by putting up a bat box on a sunny wall, close to hedgerows, woodlands or ponds. Be patient as it can take the bats quite a while to find and use the boxes regularly.

Ornamental: Tie in climbing roses
Tie in climbing roses and rambling roses to structures and supports. If you position the stems as close to horizontal as possible or wind stems around posts it makes the plant believe it has reached the top of its climbing support so it starts to produce more side shoots and the reward is more flowers for the gardener.

Fruit & Vegetables: Sow herbs
Sow Basil, Rocket, Parsley, and Coriander every fortnight from now onwards to keep regular supplies of herbs this summer. Try also sowing Borage and Nasturtium for their pretty flowers and because they are edible they can be thrown into the salad bowl or used to decorate your summer dishes. They can be sown directly outside at this time of year but choose a warm, sunny position and make sure the ground is raked over and if necessary improved with grit for good drainage.

Plant of the Month: Lilacs
If there’s to be a prize for best fragrance then it is lilac that wins without exception - the heady scent drifts through the garden like a magical spell at this time of year. Lilacs are thought to symbolise first love and innocence, and Syringa vulgaris, is by far the favourite species. They cheerfully adorn our gardens with clouds of pale purple, white and pink blooms for almost two weeks when at its peak flowering period. They are great for back of borders and even as a scented hedge.

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General Tip: Ponds
Algae can start to be a real problem in ponds at this time of year. Gardeners have traditionally used bundles of barley straw to control algal growth. However, new research suggests that dried trimmings from lavender perform a similar cleansing role. Try stuffing a fishnet stocking with lavender trimmings and float it at the side of the pond for best effects!.

Ornamental: Prepare Hanging Baskets
Nurseries are flushed with annual and bedding plants now and it is worth taking advantage of the diversity of plants to prepare your summer displays. Hanging baskets, tubs and containers are best planted early and allowed to mature prior to placing outside so buy young plants now. Opt for a mix of specimen, bushy and trailing plants and plant densely to ensure a prompt display. Use a specialist container compost as this will be enriched with slow release fertiliser to satisfy the plants requirements throughout the summer months. Avoid over filling the containers as this can make watering difficult, also consider adding a water storing gel to the compost before planting to aid water retention in summer and help reduce watering.

Fruit & Vegetables: Squashes
Sow pumpkins and squashes now in moist, but well drained compost at temperatures of 16-18°C for good germination. Use small fibre pots that can be planted straight in the ground to avoid root disturbance placing one seed in each pot. Fertile, moist conditions and plenty of sunshine are required. If you are short of space try planting into mature compost heaps as they have the perfect conditions.

Plant of the Month: Magnolia
Magnolia's amongst all the spring flowering trees is the one plant that surpasses all others. It is instantly recognisable due to its pastel-coloured flutes of flowers and it is an essential part of any spring garden. Magnolia x soulangeana, is the most freely available. Try the form M. x soulangeana 'Rustica Rubra' for flowers in shades of dusky pink. If you want all the glamour of the magnolia but are limited for space the finest form is M.stellata, a compact shrub carrying clear white flowers of strap like petals forming a perfect star.

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General Tip: Mulching
Add a good layer of organic matter such as garden compost or soil improver, around 8cm thick, to your roses and shrub borders. This helps to suppress weed germination, retain moisture and the nutrients in the mulch gradually release over time providing a regular supply of food. Make sure that your mulch is well-rotted before use.

Fruit & Vegetables: Carrots
Start sowing main crop carrots outside now for harvesting from August onwards. Sow the seeds thinly in shallow drills around 2-3cm deep and cover the seeds once in place. After germination and development of their first leaves thin to around 5cm between each plant. Carrots like a light, sandy soil and prefer to throw down deep roots so grow in well dug borders or deep beds and pots.

Ornamental: Living Screens
Trim stems of Willow such as Salix viminalis and Salix 'Britensis' that have provided fine winter colour and use the most energetic stems for use in the garden for a variety of features such as screens, fences, hurdles, pyramids for climbing plants and even as a retaining structure for low banks. Select the most robust and dense stems to form the basis of the structure, up to 2 metres in length. Insert a stake into prepared ground, to a minimum of 30cm deep, and simply insert the prunings into the pre-made hole to form a post. Space about 30cm apart and then insert secondary, more flexible prunings at a 45 degree angle and 10cm spacings. Repeat but angle the prunings to the opposite 45 degree angle to the first line, weaving stems together as you proceed. The result is a woven screen of hurdle the stems of which will root and flush with foliage.

Plant of the month: Crocus
Crocus is the one plant that is synonymous with the onset of spring. For centuries its blooms have been filling the hearts and minds of all those that encounter them with energy and optimism. Colours vary tremendously but for me the warm, golden hue of Crocus ancyrensis is possibly the finest. It is perfectly hardy in even the most challenging of gardens and is sufficiently striking to warrant the creation of a dedicated planting bed or container. Watch out for squirrels though as greys are fond of the corms, to avoid their attentions try sprinkling chilli powder around new plantings.

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General Tip: Pruning
Pruning makes many gardeners nervous but act now for plentiful flowers and fruits. Amongst those that can be pruned now include Wisteria, the side stems of which can be shortened to within a few buds of main structural branches. Buddleia cultivars of the B. davidii species flower most profusely on freshly produced stems so prune branches either to within a permanent framework or to within 30cm of the ground.

Fruit & Vegetables: Plant Jerusalem Artichokes
These relatives of the Sunflower are lofty specimens; growing to over 2.5 metres in height in one year, and so create a great shelter or living screen. Each stem carries broad leaves and supports a cluster of golden, sunflower blooms in late summer -and the bountiful harvest of tubers makes tasty soups in autumn. Plant now in rows around 15cm deep and 30cm apart and provide a post and wire support where a narrow planting width is required.

Ornamental: Pot up lily bulbs
For best results plant Lily bulbs now in deep containers, so called Lily Flutes, which help to keep the bulb cool during summer. Line the base of the pot with broken pots to ensure good drainage and use a blend of alpine grit with ericaceous compost at a ratio of about 1:3 to maintain a flow of water through the container and provide the slightly acidic conditions that Lilies love. Plant in groups for best flowering effects, 15cm deep from compost surface to tip of bulb and ideally at 10cm spacing, although closer is possible when cultivating in containers.

Plant of the month: Hellebores
Looking particularly beautiful at this time of year are the Helleborus. Hybrids whose dense fountains of fresh foliage holds succulent stems up to 40cm high. Each stems carries a freckled, mottled or decorated bowl of petals up to 5cm in diameter. There are so many hybrids available that you should be able to find one that suits you from the pure white to the deepest purple and from single blooms to the pom-pom like form of the doubles. For best results plant them in dappled shade on fertile soils enriched with plenty of compost.

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General Tip: Plant bare root plants
This is the best time for planting bare root woody plants that are currently and therefore can be lifted and sold by nurseries at hugely reduced rates, compared to container grown plants. Prepare the ground by forking over and incorporating plenty of well-rotted compost. Either dig pits or trenches, depending on the size of the plants you buy, and make sure that the preparation is done prior to the plants arriving, as they must be planted straight away. Keep plants well watered for the first summer to avoid them becoming stressed.

Fruit & Vegetables: Strawberries
Bring your strawberry plants into the glasshouse or place cloches over any of last season's plants outside that are resident outside as the warmth and protection encourages them to fruit earlier. One of my favourite varieties is Alice which is great if you are restricted to containers. It flowers mid May and its delicious, sweet fruits are produced throughout June and July.

Ornamental: Sow Sweet Peas
Sweet Peas require a deep, undisturbed root run, so sow them in tubes filled with compost mixed 50:50 with sharp sand. Place two seeds in each tube, about 2cm below soil level and keep moist. Place in a light position, in a cool glasshouse and after germination keep at a steady temperature to avoid them bolting. Once they reach 10-15 cm pinch the tip of each plant out as this encourages the formation of side shoots. Once these reach a similar height then pinch out again to generate at least four shoots, it is from these that a bountiful selection of blooms will flow.