Jobs to do this month
Flowers
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Cut down deciduous ornamental grasses left standing over winter, before fresh shoots appear
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Divide large clumps of snowdrops and winter aconites after flowering and replant to start new colonies
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Prune late-summer flowering clematis, cutting stems back to healthy buds about 30cm from the base
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Divide congested clumps of herbaceous perennials and grasses to make vigorous new plants for free
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Transplant deciduous shrubs growing in the wrong place, while they are dormant
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Pot up containers with hardy spring bedding, such as primroses, wallflowers and forget-me-nots
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Prune winter-blooming shrubs such as mahonia, winter jasmine and heathers, once they've finished flowering
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Cut back wisteria side shoots to three buds from the base, to encourage abundant flowers in spring
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Give winter heathers a light trim after flowering, removing shoot tips but not cutting back into old wood
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Prune buddleja and elder to the base to keep these vigorous shrubs to a reasonable size
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Trim back ivy, Virginia creeper and other climbers if they have outgrown their space, before birds start nesting
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Cut away all the old foliage from epimediums with shears, before the spring flowers start to develop
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Sprinkle slow-release fertiliser around the base of roses and other flowering shrubs
Fruit and veg
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Finish winter-pruning fruit trees and soft fruits, including apples, autumn raspberries and blackcurrants
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Chit first-early potato tubers, such as 'Foremost', by standing them in trays in a light, frost-free place
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Prepare veg beds for sowing by weeding thoroughly, then cover with a thick layer of garden compost
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Feed fruit trees and bushes by sprinkling sulphate of potash fertiliser around the base to encourage fruiting
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Sow mustard and cress in a small seed tray on a warm windowsill for pickings in just a few weeks
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Put cloches or fleece over strawberry plants to start them into growth and encourage an early crop
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Hunt out overwintering snails huddled in empty pots and hidden corners, to reduce populations
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Plant rhubarb into enriched soil, or lift and divide established clumps
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Check if old seed packets are worth keeping by sowing a few seeds on damp kitchen paper, to see if they germinate
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Protect the blossom of outdoor peaches, nectarines and apricots with fleece, if frost is forecast
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Plant bare-root fruit bushes, trees and canes, as long as the ground isn't frozen
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Inspect Mediterranean herbs for metallic green rosemary beetles if they start to look nibbled and tatty
Greenhouse
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Sow sweet peas in deep pots and keep them frost-free in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill
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Sow summer bedding and tender annuals, including cosmos, lobelia, dahlias, nasturtiums and snapdragons
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Pot on and pinch out autumn-sown sweet peas to encourage side shoots to form
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Sow tender crops such as tomatoes and chillies in a heated propagator or on a warm sunny windowsill
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Plant dahlia tubers in trays to encourage shoots to develop, which you can then use as cuttings
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Monitor greenhouse temperatures with a max-min thermometer to ensure heaters are working efficiently
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Start planting summer bulbs in pots indoors, including liatris, begonias, gloxinias, lilies, eucomis and agapanthus
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Cut off hippeastrum (amaryllis) flowerheads once they fade, but leave the stalk to die down naturally
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Hand-pollinate the blossom of peaches and nectarines in the greenhouse using a soft paintbrush
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Cut back overwintered fuchsias and increase the frequency of watering to spur them into growth
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Remove any faded or yellowing leaves from overwintering plants to prevent fungal diseases
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Wash greenhouse glazing inside and out to let in as much light as possible