■ Take cuttings from sturdy young shoots on border perennials and root them in pots of cuttings compost in a garden frame

■ Remove faded flowers from spring-flowering bulbs and give the plants a sprinkling of general fertiliser;

■ Begin to harden off bedding plants in a garden frame before planting out in late spring;

■ Net brassicas to protect them from pigeons;

■ Continue to spike and scarify lawns to improve surface drainage and remove thatch;

■ Sow tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, aubergines and peppers for growing in the greenhouse;

■ Re-pot houseplants then give them a week or two in the greenhouse to convalesce;

■ Thin out autumn-sown annuals;

■ Plant gladioli corms;

■ Soak the soil around wall-trained fruit trees and mulch with manure;

■ Plant herbs in containers;

■ Remove the insulation from the greenhouse;

■ Prune tender climbers and wall shrubs before the leaves open fully.