■ 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.
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