Garlic takes seven months to fully develop, so now is the time to start. Improve the soil before pushing individual cloves thumb-deep into rows or around the edges of vegetable garden beds. Overplant with pansies or violas.
Sow seeds of sweet peas. Sprinkle a handful of lime over soil in a sunny spot and moisten soil before sowing. A tripod of stakes wound with garden twine will provide support for these prolific bloomers; they will lift your spirits in spring.
Aerate compacted lawns using the tines of a garden fork (hire an aerator for larger lawns). Use a hose-on wetting agent before you feed your lawn with an organic pelletised lawn fertiliser (Sudden Impact for Lawns) and water in well to boost turf growth for a greener, healthy lawn.
Repot any tired outdoor (and indoor) plants. Lift the plant out of the pot, shake off old potting mix, then replant into the same or a larger container having washed and disinfected it first. Repot with premium quality potting mix. Water well with seaweed.
Tip prune evergreen hedges for neat, compact growth.They’ll leaf up before the onset of winter, especially if encouraged with a dose of organic fertiliser and a deep seaweed drink.
Feed clivia in March, April and May with potash to encourage flowering. If you want to divide and replant, do so after flowering.
Buy tubestock to create a native wildflower garden, small tube plants establish and grow better than advanced native plants.