Events in February:

- RHS London Flower Show - 12 & 13 February 2008, Westminster, London. Click here for more details

February's reader queries answered by Stephen Anderton, The Times. Click here to read

Week 1:

What to do this week:

– Start planting shallot bulbs in a sunny spot, in fertile, well-drained soil

– Sweet-pea seeds can be sown in pots now; leave them to germinate in a greenhouse or conservatory

– Prune indoor climbers, such as passionflowers and plumbagos

– To prolong the season, keep deadheading winter-flowering pansies.

(Neil Wormald, Sunday Times)

Weekend tips:

- Now is the time to scrub the algae off wooden garden furniture and, once it’s had time to dry off, give it a good coat of oil or preservative. Allow for soaking-in time before you start using the seats – no point in exchanging green trousers for oily ones

- Snowdrops and aconites are opening and the ones in the sunnier places come out first because they are warmer. So to extend the flowering season, why not divide your bulbs into sunnier and colder positions in the garden? Aconites can be lifted and replanted now with little clumps of soil; snowdrops can be separated into single bulbs

- Yes, you can plant container-grown trees and shrubs any time, but it’s better to put them in now. They will establish better and may well need no watering in that first summer

- On the other hand, put off planting things you know are tender. There is still plenty of time for cold weather, even if we get the odd “spring” day. It’s better to plant tender plants, woody or herbaceous, in May, when they will grow away with no check from cold

- If you like to order plugs of bedding plants to grow on yourself in a greenhouse, now’s the time to get your order in.

(Stephen Anderton, The Times)

Q&A with Jane Owen, Times Online

Week 2:

What to do this week:

- Sow broad bean seeds individually in 3in pots and leave to germinate in a frost-free greenhouse

- Plant lily-of-the-valley in a semi-shaded spot using a moist but welldrained soil

- Once the flowering display has ended, prune back the spent stems of winter jasmine

- Take advantage of mild spells to plant bare-rooted roses outside.

(Neil Wormald, Sunday Times)

Weekend tips:

- Cut back last year's long wands of growth on wistaria, taking them back to a couple of buds and pulling them out of gutters, etcetera. Woodier growth which is getting too far forward from the wall may also be reduced, cutting back to a live bud

- Common lilacs as well as dwarf species lilacs will benefit from thinning out the canopy, removing weaker twigs and promoting stronger growth in fewer stems. The result is bigger, better flowers

- Where celandines are a problem, dig them out now, taking care to get every little white tuber. Lift whole little clumps, don't try to get the soil off them or they will break apart. Bin them or plant them somewhere rougher, maybe under trees where snowdrops thrive. If you keep at it, you can get rid of them in the end

- Time to prune summer-flowering clematis; they are shooting already. Those which flower in both early and late summer should only be tidied up and weak and dead stems removed. Those which only flower in late summer can be cut down to knee-high. Get some compost on those roots too: they are hungry beasts and a mulch helps retain much-needed moisture

- All shrubs which make a great deal of growth every year need feeding. Now is the time to put a dressing of slow-release fertiliser such as bonemeal over the roots: hydrangeas, coloured-stemmed dogwoods, buddleias, elders, hedges, topiary

- Hellebores, the orientalis types in pink, white and green, are in full flower. Pull away all those dead leaves to freshen them up. If you like you can take away all last year's green leaves too, but they will need cutting.

(Stephen Anderton, The Times)

Q&A with Jane Owen, Times Online

Week 3:

What to do this week:

- Place cloches over some outdoor strawberry plants for an early crop

- Start trimming winter-flowering heathers as they start to fade

-Top-dress container-grown citrus trees

- Plant the chitted tubers of extra-early potatoes in pots and keep them covered

- Cut hard back the stems of buddleja davidii.

(Neil Wormald, Sunday Times)

Weekend tips:

- Put a hoe through areas of loose gravel in paths or parking areas to wallop the first un-noticed generation of seedling weeds

- If you use residual weed killers, apply them now before the weeds appear.

(Stephen Anderton, The Times)

Q&A with Jane Owen, Times Online

Week 4:

What to do this week:

- Lift, divide and replant overgrown clumps of chives

- If you want to grow a new lawn using grass seed, then start preparing the ground now. Sow the seeds towards the end of March

- Pot up gloxinia tubers and leave them to sprout on a warm windowsill

- In mild weather, give the lawn its first cut of the year — set the lawn-mower blades at their highest level. Don’t mow if the grass is wet.

(Neil Wormald, Sunday Times)

Weekend tips:

- Give hybrid tea, floribunda and climbing roses a final spring prune, always cutting to an outward pointing bud to ensure an airy, uncongested centre where disease is much less likely to appear

- Were some perennials just a little too enthusiastic about spilling over the lawn last year? Lift them now, and replant a smaller piece or pieces further back from the edge. Only replant the strong, outer parts of the clump; have the nerve to throw away the tired old centre

- Get that compost bin emptied and ready for this year’s filling. Put the drier top layer to one side and, after emptying, put it back in the bottom to inoculate the new heap with worms and bacteria

- Repot lilies that have been kept dry and cold over winter in fresh, strong compost, taking care not to damage roots and any new shoots

- Begonias stored dry can also be woken up now, in small pots of cool, moist compost.

(Stephen Anderton, The Times)

Q&A with Jane Owen, Times Online

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