JANUARY
Flowers
- Plant bare-root roses, shrubs, hedging and ornamental trees, as long as the ground isn't frozen
- Take root cuttings of fleshy-rooted perennials such as oriental poppies, acanthus and verbascum
- Establish new colonies of snowdrops and hellebores by buying plants in flower, so you can choose the prettiest blooms
- Clear away soggy, collapsed stems of perennials and compost them
- Take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs, such as forsythia, willow and viburnum
- Remove and bin hellebore foliage marked with black blotches, to limit the spread of leaf spot disease
- Press mistletoe berries into the bark of apple trees to establish your own mistletoe plants
- Check small alpines don't become smothered by leaves and other debris
- Deadhead winter pansies and other bedding regularly. Remove any foliage affected by downy mildew
- Move deciduous shrubs that are in the wrong place to more suitable sites
- Check for rot on stored bulbs and tubers, and ensure dahlia and canna tubers haven't totally dried out
- Continue pruning climbing roses, while they are dormant
- Sow sweet peas under cover. Pinch out the tops of autumn-sown sweet peas to encourage side shoots to form.
- Clean pots, seed trays and tools ready for spring.
- Prune wisteria: cut back whippy summer growth, leaving only 2 or 3 buds.
Fruit and Veg
- Winter-prune apple and pear trees to remove any dead, damaged, diseased or congested branches. Aim for an open frame of branches in a goblet shape.
- Leave stone fruit trees (e.g. plums, cherries, apricots) until summer to avoid fungal infections, such as silver leaf.
- Prune blackcurrants, if you haven't done so already, removing about a quarter of the old stems
- Prune gooseberries and redcurrants, cutting side shoots back to three buds from their base
- Plant bare-root fruit trees and bushes into enriched soil, as long as the ground isn't frozen
- Cover rhubarb crowns with a bucket, bin or terracotta pot to force an early crop of tender stems (ready in about 8 weeks)
- Order fruit bushes, such as currants and raspberries now to plant in a prepared bed in a sheltered position.
- Plan this year's crop rotation to ensure you grow each type of crop in a different bed to previous years.
- Sort out your seeds. Throw away empty or out-of-date packets. Note down any to buy for the coming season
- Clear old crops and weeds from the veg plot. Add compost.
- Prepare the ground for early peas. Place a cloche over the soil to warm up the ground a few weeks before sowing.
- Sow early vegetable crops under cover.
- Regularly inspect stored crops, discarding any showing signs of rot or deterioration
- Remove yellowing leaves from winter brassicas - they don’t help the plant and can even harbour pests and diseases.
- Ensure netting is in place over brassicas, such as kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbages, to protect from pigeons
- Feed spring cabbages with high-nitrogen feed to encourage leafy growth
- Order seed potatoes, onions, shallots and garlic bulbs for planting in spring
FEBRUARY
Flowers
- Cut down deciduous ornamental grasses left standing over winter, before fresh shoots appear
- Divide large clumps of snowdrops and winter aconites after flowering and replant to start new colonies
- Prune late-summer flowering clematis, cutting stems back to healthy buds about 30cm from the base
- Divide congested clumps of herbaceous perennials and grasses to make vigorous new plants for free
- Transplant deciduous shrubs growing in the wrong place, while they are dormant
- Pot up containers with hardy spring bedding, such as primroses, wallflowers and forget-me-nots
- Prune winter-blooming shrubs such as mahonia, winter jasmine and heathers, once they've finished flowering
- Cut back wisteria side shoots to three buds from the base, to encourage abundant flowers in spring
- Prune buddleia and elder to the base to keep these vigorous shrubs to a reasonable size
- Trim back ivy, Virginia creeper and other climbers if they have outgrown their space, before birds start nesting
- Cut away all the old foliage from epimediums with shears, before the spring flowers start to develop
- Sprinkle slow-release fertiliser around the base of roses and other flowering shrubs
Fruit and Veg
- Finish winter-pruning fruit trees and soft fruits, including apples, autumn raspberries and blackcurrants
- Chit first-early potato tubers, such as 'Foremost', by standing them in trays in a light, frost-free place
- Prepare veg beds for sowing by weeding thoroughly, then cover with a thick layer of garden compost
- Feed fruit trees and bushes by sprinkling sulphate of potash fertiliser around the base to encourage fruiting
- Sow mustard and cress in a small seed tray on a warm windowsill for pickings in just a few weeks
- Put cloches or fleece over strawberry plants to start them into growth and encourage an early crop
- Hunt out overwintering snails huddled in empty pots and hidden corners, to reduce populations. Find out more about how to deter slugs and snails from your garden
- Plant rhubarb into enriched soil, or lift and divide established clumps
- Check if old seed packets are worth keeping by sowing a few seeds on damp kitchen paper, to see if they germinate
- Start planning for your seed sowing year
- Protect the blossom of outdoor peaches, nectarines and apricots with fleece, if frost is forecast
- Plant bare-root fruit bushes, trees and canes, as long as the ground isn't frozen
- Inspect Mediterranean herbs for metallic green rosemary beetles if they start to look nibbled and tatty
MARCH (Click the highlighted links for Gardeners World content)
- Pick off any developing seed heads on daffodils and other spring bulbs, but leave the foliage to die back naturally
- Finish pruning roses early in the month
- Start sowing hardy annuals outdoors, including California poppies, nasturtiums and opium poppies
- Tidy up alpines as they start to flower, removing dead foliage, then mulch with grit to keep the foliage off damp soil
- Plant faded forced bulbs out in the garden for blooms next year
- Plant lilies and other summer-flowering bulbs in pots and borders
- Feed ericaceous shrubs, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and pieris, with an ericaceous fertiliser
- Plant new roses and other shrubs and climbers
- Sow native wildflower seeds in trays or modules, to produce plants for your own mini-meadow
- Continue deadheading spring flowers and any remaining winter bedding so they don't set seed
- Spring clean your greenhouse
- Avoid carrot root fly by sowing an early crop of carrots under cloches or fleece
- Sow tomatoes, chillies, sweet peppers and aubergines in pots indoors
- Buy young herbs to plant in containers near your back door, for handy pickings
- Plant onion and shallot sets, spacing them 10-15cm apart, and keep the bed free of weeds
- Make the first outdoor sowings of hardy veg, such as spinach, covering with cloches or fleece
- Plant early potatoes in trenches on the veg plot, or in large tubs if space is limited
- Sow parsnips as soon as the soil starts to warm up, as they're slow to germinate and need a long growing season
- Feed cabbages and other brassicas with nitrogen-rich fertiliser, such as pelleted chicken manure
- Plant bare-root asparagus crowns in well-drained soil or raised beds, in an open, sunny spot
- Start hoeing veg beds as soon as the weather starts to warm up, as weeds will germinate quickly
- Plant strawberries in a hanging basket to keep the fruits away from slugs
- Sow salad seed in modules
- Mow lawns once they start back into growth, and re-cut the edges with a half-moon edging tool
- Build or buy a new compost bin, ready to recycle the coming season's garden waste
- Dig out a new pond, or install a water feature, to attract more wildlife
- Prune out any wind-damaged branches on trees and shrubs
- Keep putting out food for garden birds, as the breeding season gets underway
- Cut back winter-flowering jasmine to keep it within bounds and encourage flowers next year
- Give blackcurrant bushes a high-nitrogen feed
APRIL
- Sow tomatoes, sweetcorn, marrows, courgettes, pumpkins and squashes under cover the planting out in June
- Plant maincrop potatoes and continue planting lettuce, beetroot, radish, peas, broad beans, salad onions and turnips in succession, to avoid a glut of produce all at once.
- Continue sowing and planting herbs outside
- Tidy up borders, hoeing regularly to combat weeds
- Deadhead any remaining daffodils
- Spray roses with fungicide against blackspot
- Plant evergreen shrubs and trees
- Prune early-flowering shrubs
- Sow annual climbers and grasses
- Sow grass seed or turf new lawns
- Feed established lawns
- Continue sowing hardy annuals outside
- Plant container-grown trees, shrubs and climbers, and evergreen hedging
MAY
Flowers
- Prune spring shrubs after flowering to keep them compact
- Plant out dahlia tubers and cannas after all risk of frost has passed
- Tie in the new shoots of climbing plants to their supports
- Continue sowing annuals, such as California poppies, into gaps in borders for colour from August into autumn
- Plant up hanging baskets, but keep inside for a few weeks to establish before putting outside
- Apply liquid feed to spring bulbs to encourage a good display next year
- Plant out summer bedding and tender annuals after the last frost
- Remove faded spring bedding and add to your compost bin
- Check lilies & fritillaries for scarlet lily beetles and their larvae; they can rapidly strip all foliage
- Harden off tender plants raised indoors, bringing in at night to protect from late frosts
- Pinch out the shoot tips of bedding plants and young annuals to encourage bushier growth
- Water newly planted trees and shrubs, especially in dry weather
- Sow seeds: half-hardy and hardy annuals for autumn colour; perennials; spring-flower biennials (e.g. Forget-me-not & Sweet William)
Fruit & Veg
- Earth up potatoes, covering the shoots with soil as they appear
- Pick rhubarb stems as they develop, and water plants with liquid feed
- Sow runner beans, French beans, and chard directly outdoors in warm weather
- Sow sweetcorn in deep pots ready to transplant into the garden in June
- Sow batches of salad leaves and stir-fry crops every few weeks to provide continuous pickings
- Thin out seedlings from earlier sowings to ensure healthy, strong-growing plants
- Harden off tender young plants, such as tomatoes and courgettes, ready for planting out
- Plant out leeks, marrows and courgettes
- Hang pheromone traps in apple and plum trees from May to July, to control pests
- Open fruit cage doors or lift some of the netting to ensure access to the flowers by pollinators
- Remove all strawberry runners, so plants put their full energy into fruiting
- Keep fleece handy to protect young seedlings or fruit blossom, if late frosts are forecast
JUNE
Flowers
- Lift and store tulip bulbs after flowering
- Give wisteria its summer prune, cutting all the long sideshoots back to 20cm, to promote flowering next spring
- Support tall-growing perennials, including hollyhocks and delphiniums, with a sturdy cane
- Continue planting summer bedding in pots and borders, and water regularly to help plants establish quickly
- Cut back spring-flowering perennials, such as pulmonaria, to encourage a fresh flush of foliage
- Tie in new stems of climbing and rambling roses horizontally to supports, to encourage more flowers
- Take cuttings from pinks and carnations, selecting non-flowering shoots, which should root readily
- Pinch out the tips of fuchsias and bedding plants to encourage bushier growth
- Give container displays and hanging baskets a liquid feed every few weeks to encourage flowering
- Fill any gaps in borders with pots of tall bulbs, such as fragrant lilies, to add instant colour
- Prune late-spring or early-summer shrubs after flowering, such as weigela and philadelphus, thinning out the older stems
- Add marginal plants, such as arum lilies and marsh marigolds, around the edges of your pond
Fruit and Veg
- Plant out sweetcorn after hardening off, arranging plants in blocks to aid pollination
- Cover developing and ripening fruits with netting or fleece to protect them from birds
- Enjoy the last harvests of asparagus this month, then leave the ferny top-growth to grow up over the summer
- Spread mulch around thirsty crops such as beans and courgettes to hold in moisture around their roots
- Check for woolly aphids on fruit trees, and treat infestations with soap-based spray
- Water vegetables and fruit in containers regularly, especially during dry sunny weather
- Go on regular snail hunts, especially on damp evenings, to reduce populations
- Tie in new shoots of cane fruits, e.g. blackberries, raspberries, loganberries
- Apply tomato feed regularly to fruiting veg crops, including tomatoes, courgettes, pumpkins and chillies
- Plant up an edible hanging basket with trailing tomatoes and herbs, and keep it well watered all summer
- Rejuvenate chives by cutting the clump down to the base, for a fresh crop of new leaves in just a few weeks
- Water beans and peas as they start to flower
- Pull out any raspberry canes sprouting where they are not wanted
- Take softwood cuttings of herbs such as marjoram and sage, plant in gritty compost and place on a sunny windowsill
JULY
Flowers
- Cut lavender for drying. Choose newly opened flowers for the best fragrance, then hang up in a cool, dark place
- Give dahlias a liquid feed, keep them well watered and tie the shoots of tall varieties to sturdy stakes as they grow
- Hoe and hand-weed borders often, so weeds don't have time to set seed
- Water and feed sweet peas regularly. To prolong flowering, pick the flowers every few days and remove seed pods
- Plant autumn bulbs, including nerines, colchicums and sternbergia, in pots and borders
- Feed, water and deadhead summer bedding regularly
- Cut back early summer perennials, such as hardy geraniums and delphiniums, after flowering for a second flush
- Take softwood cuttings from shrubs such as pyracantha, cotinus, hydrangeas and spiraea
- Feed and deadhead roses to keep them flowering strongly
- Keep watch for pests such as lily beetles, snails, aphids and vine weevils, and remove before they do too much harm
- Pick off flowers on coleus plants to maintain their colourful leaves Sow biennials, such as foxgloves, honesty, forget-me-nots and wallflowers, for blooms next year
Fruit and Veg
- Check crops regularly for aphids. Rub or wash them off straight away, before they multiply
- Water thirsty plants such as celery, beans, peas, courgettes, pumpkins and tomatoes regularly
- Make the last pickings of rhubarb and remove any flower spikes that start to form, cutting right down at the base
- Thin out heavy crops of apples, pears and plums, and remove any malformed, damaged or undersized fruits
- Prune plum trees in dry weather, when silver leaf fungal disease is less prevalent
- Sow a last batch of peas and dwarf beans before mid-July for an autumn crop
- Shorten side shoots growing from the framework of trained fruit trees, reducing to about five leaves from their base
- Water fruit trees and bushes, then lay a thick mulch of garden compost around their base to hold in moisture
- Cover brassicas with fine netting to prevent cabbage white butterflies laying their eggs on the leaves
- Peg down strawberry runners into pots of compost to root new plants
- Pick courgettes regularly so they don't turn into marrows
- Sow small batches of fast-maturing salad leaves, rocket and radishes every few weeks for continuous pickings Cut down broad beans after harvesting, but leave the roots in the soil to release nitrogen as they decompose
AUGUST
Flowers
- Deadhead perennials to encourage a constant display of blooms
- Keep camellias and rhododendrons well-watered through late summer while their flower buds are forming
- Water and deadhead pots and hanging baskets regularly; add tomato feed fortnightly
- Strim/mow wildflower meadow areas, now the plants have scattered their seeds
- Choosing a dry day, collect seeds as they ripen from plants such as aquilegias, sweet peas and love-in-a-mist.
- Remove any spent hardy annuals if you don't want them to self-seed
- Prune lavender after flowering to maintain a compact, bushy shape, but avoid cutting into old wood
- Prune rambling roses, removing up to a third of stems that have flowered, and tie the rest to supports
- Take softwood cuttings of woody herbs, including lavender and hyssop, and penstemons, choosing vigorous non-flowering shoots
- Sow hardy annuals in sunny spots to provide early summer colour next year
- Plant autumn bulbs, e.g. colchicums, sternbergia and nerines
Fruit and veg
- Be vigilant for signs of tomato and potato blight, removing affected plants immediately to prevent spread
- Pinch out the tops of outdoor tomatoes, as further flowers are unlikely to produce fruits that have time to ripen
- Use netting or fleece to protect blackberries and autumn raspberries from birds
- Water crops regularly, especially during hot weather, use water from a water butt if possible.
- Lift onions and shallots once their tops die down, then leave to dry in the sun
- Cut back leaves on grapevines to let the sun ripen the fruits
- Harvest fresh herbs to freeze in ice cubes for winter use, or to hang up and dry, then store in jars
- Summer prune both free-standing and trained apple trees, to encourage good fruiting in future years
- Plant well-rooted strawberry runners into new beds
- Sow hardy crops such as land cress, rocket and lamb's lettuce for winter pickings
- Plant a kiwi plant, to climb over a trellis, fence or arbour. Plant blueberry bushes into acid soil
- Order saffron crocus bulbs (Crocus sativus) to plant in September, so you can harvest your own saffron this autumn
SEPTEMBER
Flowers
- Sow hardy annuals for flowers early next summer, e.g. cerinthes, ammi, scabiosa and cornflowers
- Lift gladioli corms. Dry off, then store in a frost-free shed or garage over winter
- Plant wallflowers, pansies, forget-me-nots and other spring bedding in pots and borders
- Collect ripe seeds from your favourite flowers and store in labelled envelopes, ready to sow in spring
- Plant up containers for autumn interest, using cyclamen, heathers, heucheras and bedding plants
- Lift, divide and replant congested clumps of perennials, such as achilleas, after flowering
- Apply vine weevil control to pots if plants show the tell-tale sign of notched leaf margins
- Fill gaps with late-flowering perennials to provide nectar for pollinating insects into autumn
- Plant spring bulbs in autumn, including crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths, bluebells in pots and borders
- Take cuttings from fuchsias, salvias and pelargoniums
- Regularly deadhead and feed summer bedding flowering in baskets and pots until the first frosts
- Trim conifer hedges to neaten and control height
- Leave sunflower seedheads in place for birds
Fruit & Veg
- Sow hardy greens, such as kale, land cress, pak choi, mizuna, lamb's lettuce and mustard, for winter pickings
- Prune out all the fruited canes of summer raspberries, cutting down to the base, and tie in new canes to supports
- Pot up herbs, such as chives and parsley, and place on a sunny windowsill to use during winter
- Start sowing hardy varieties of broad beans and peas for early crops next year
- Plant shallot and onion sets in a sunny spot, 10cm apart, with the tip just showing above the soil
- Cut away any leaves covering the fruits of pumpkins, squash and marrows to help the skins ripen in the sun
- Plant saffron crocus bulbs (Crocus sativus), so you can harvest your own saffron this autumn
- Pick apples and pears before the wind blows them down, and store undamaged fruits if you can't eat them fresh
- Store chillies by threading the stalks onto strong cotton or wire and hanging up to dry somewhere warm and dry
- Cut off trusses of unripe outdoor tomatoes before the weather turns cold, then ripen them indoors
- Lift maincrop potatoes, dry off and store in hessian or paper sacks, in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place
- Complete summer pruning of both free-standing and trained apple trees, to encourage good fruiting in future years
OCTOBER
Flowers
- Lift tender cannas to avoid frost damage, dry off the tubers and store in cool dark conditions until spring
- Lift and pot up tender perennials, such as chocolate cosmos, gazanias and coleus, to protect over winter
- Remove any pot saucers and raise pots up onto feet to prevent waterlogging over winter
- Wrap layers of fleece or straw around banana plants and tree ferns to protect from winter frosts
- Move deciduous shrubs that are in the wrong place or have outgrown their current position
- Reduce the height of shrub roses to avoid wind rock damage over winter
- Empty spent summer pots and hanging baskets, and compost the contents
- Take hardwood cuttings from ornamental trees and shrubs
- Collect seeds from hardy perennials, such as astrantia, achillea and red valerian, and sow straight away
- Sow sweet peas under cover for next spring
- Finish planting spring flowering bulbs and bedding plants
- Plant drifts of spring bulbs(e.g. crocuses, daffodils, fritillaries) informally in a lawn
- Plant up cheery pot displays with winter colour, such as heathers, cyclamen, winter pansies and skimmia.
- Plant evergreen shrubs and conifer hedges while the soil is still warm
Fruit & Veg
- Take cuttings of shrubby herbs, such as rosemary, lemon verbena and thyme
- Divide large clumps of herbs, such as chives, lemon balm and marjoram
- Remove large fruits on fig trees that have failed to ripen, leaving pea-sized fruits to develop for harvesting next year
- Wrap grease bands around the trunks of apple, pear, cherry and plum trees to trap the crawling female winter moth
- Cut fruited stems of blackberries and autumn raspberries down to the ground
- Raise pumpkins and squash onto bricks to keep them dry and expose them to more sun, to ripen the skins
- Cover salad plants with cloches to prolong cropping
- Leave a few pods runner beans and French beans to ripen fully, and save the seeds
- Cut down the ferny shoots of asparagus to soil level once they've turned yellow
- Plant out spring cabbages
- Sow green manure, such as winter rye, rather than leaving soil bare over winter
- Sow batches of hardy broad beans and peas outdoors for early crops next year
- Plant garlic cloves in a sunny well-drained spot, 15cm apart, tips 5cm below the surface
- Clear away old crops, so they can't harbour pests and diseases on the veg plot through the winter
- Order bare-root fruit trees and bushes for planting from late autumn to early spring
NOVEMBER
Flowers
- Plant tulip bulbs in pots and borders, covering them with at least twice their depth of soil or compost
- Lift dahlia tubers after the first frost, clean them off and store in dry compost in a cool, frost-proof place
- Send off for seed catalogues and start planning what to grow next year
- Plant bare-root hedging, roses, trees, shrubs, before the weather turns really cold.
- Clear faded annual climbers from their supports
- Cut down faded perennials that are looking tatty, then mulch the soil with compost
- Gather up and bin the fallen leaves of roses affected by black spot, so they don't carry the disease over to next year
- Move containers of alpine plants under cover to shelter them from winter rain
- Replenish gravel mulch around alpines to keep the foliage clear of damp soil, which can cause rotting
- Protect plants that are borderline hardy, such as agapanthus, with a thick mulch of straw or garden compost
- Put stem protection guards around young trees and shrubs, if rabbits are a problem
- Sow seeds from berry-laden trees and shrubs
Fruit and Veg
- Take hardwood cuttings from healthy fruit bushes, including currants, blueberries and gooseberries
- Use cloches to protect winter peas, beans and salads, but leave the ends open as good ventilation is vital
- Prune autumn-fruiting raspberries to the ground after harvesting
- Plant garlic, shallots and onions in free-draining soil or raised beds, then cover with fleece
- Prune fruit bushes once dormant, including blackcurrants, redcurrants, whitecurrants and gooseberries
- Support top-heavy Brussels sprouts with sturdy canes, and pile earth up around the stems for extra stability
- Cut down Jerusalem artichokes, then dig up and store the tubers in a bucket of dry compost
- Put netting over hardy brassicas to protect them from pigeons
- Plant bare-root fruit trees, bushes and canes, as long as the ground isn't too wet
- Check stored crops for signs of rot or deterioration
- Lift and pot up chicory roots to force in the dark
- Tidy up strawberry beds: cut back old foliage and congested runners, remove weeds
DECEMBER
Flowers
- Protect terracotta pots from cracking in freezing weather: bring them indoors or wrap in bubble polythene
- Rake up accumulated fallen leaves in borders that could be harbouring slugs and other pests
- Plant bare-root roses, other deciduous shrubs, and ornamental trees
- Hang bird feeders near roses to attract hungry birds that will also pick off any overwintering pests
- Cut stems of berried winter shrubs, seasonal flowers and evergreen leaves for festive decorations and wreaths
- Move plants in pots to a sheltered spot if conditions turn very cold, as their roots are more exposed to the elements
- Pile straw or bracken around the base of tender shrubs and climbers to protect them from falling temperatures
- Plant fragrant winter shrubs in pots on the doorsteps, e.g. chimonanthus, sarcococca and Daphne odora
- Prune climbing roses between now and February
- Hard prune overgrown shrubs and hedges while they're dormant
- Check stored bulbs and corms regularly for any signs of rot
Fruit and Veg
- Place straw around the base of parsnips to prevent the soil freezing
- Plant blackberries, such as thornless 'Loch Ness', for easy pickings of large, sweet, juicy fruits
- Winter prune large fruit trees, such as apples and pears, to control their shape and size, and to increase their productivity
- Plant fruit trees trained as cordons, fans or espaliers making good use of limited space
- Start to plan next year's crops and order seeds
- Tidy up raspberry and blackberry beds – weed and mulch with compost; tie new stems to support wires
- Lift and divide large clumps of rhubarb. Replant the outer sections into soil enriched with well-rotted manure
- Keep kale, winter cabbages and other brassicas covered with netting to protect them from hungry pigeons
- Finish clearing old crops and debris from the veg plot, but only compost healthy material
- Remove yellowed leaves on brassicas, so fungal diseases such as grey mould and downy mildew don't take hold
- Protect Brussels sprouts from strong winds: tie to a cane for support and earth up the stems
- Prune grapevines, cutting back side-branches to one or two buds from the main stem