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Buy pansies and other winter bedding plug plants to grow on under coverDamp down the greenhouse floor every morning on hot daysWater plants in pots and growing bags every morning, and again at night if necessaryAdd liquid feed to at least one

spring bedding, including wallflowers and forget-me-nots, among tulipsLift, divide and replant congested clumps of perennialsNet holly berries to protect them from hungry birds if you want them for Christmas arrangementsPlant lily bulbs, including

Plant out perennials in groups of three, five or seven for maximum effectSprinkle fertiliser around clumps of tulips to boost floweringSow hardy annual flowers directly into beds where you'd like them to bloomPrune Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria

Prune gooseberry bushesFork over vacant beds, mixing in compost or well-rotted manurePlant fruit trees trained as cordons, fans or espaliers to make use of limited spaceTie in raspberry and blackberry canes to support wiresLift and divide congested

Create your own 'cutting patch' with Sarah Raven's video guide. Learn how, by growing cut-and-come-again annuals and biennials in a separate bed, you can prevent your borders from looking bare. springMore advice on growing flowersGrowing lupins

Plant bulbs, corms and tubers like achimenes, begonias, gloxinias in potsSow coleus and other houseplantsWatch out for pests, like whitefly and red spider mite, and treat at oncePut a mouse trap in your greenhouse if you find seeds and plants being

Use secateurs to remove suckers growing from the stems of standard rosesTie tall border plants like delphiniums to their supportsFinish planting out dahlias, cannas and summer beddingCut back dead and dying foliage on spring bulbsDeadhead camellias

shrubs and pot them up in gritty compostRub greenfly off rose buds, or apply a soap-based sprayLightly trim broom and genista after flowering to keep plants in shapeWater newly planted trees and shrubs if conditions turn hot and dryTidy up rock gardens

seed heads to keep them floweringShorten shoots on choisya to encourage a second flush of flowersFeed roses to keep them flowering stronglyPinch out the shoot tips on fuchsias and bedding plants for bushier growthSave seed from foxgloves and sow right

Take cuttings from tender perennials and bedding plants, such as verbenaSow a few pots of hardy annuals to provide early spring blooms Shade delicate plants to avoid sun scorch on hot daysDeal with vine weevil by watering pots with a solution