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.Wash and disinfect bird feeders and tables Collect fallen leaves and add to a leaf bin to compost down Spread fresh gravel or grit around alpine plants Around the gardenTake root cuttings of oriental poppies Check stakes and ties are secure on trees and climbers

.Clean and sharpen knives and secateursPut up nesting boxes for birds on suitable treesMove shrubs growing in the wrong placeAround the gardenCut down willows and dogwoods to their baseFinish taking hardwood cuttingsPlant bare-root roses, hedging, trees and shrubs

and can be collected in the morning. Encourage natural predators, such as spiders and garden birds, especially starlings. Use the biological control Steinernema feltiae, which should be applied while the ground is still moist and warm in late

foliage. With large numbers of leaves, they are best left or the rose will suffer. In winter, carefully fork over the soil around the base of the rose to expose the larvae to hungry birds, but don't damage the roots.In the case of large infestations, try

and air from reaching the leaves.Black or greyish-green mould spreads across sticky honeydew deposited on pepper plants by aphidsThere's no control for sooty mould, but you can control the aphids. Outside, natural predators such as birds and ladybirds

bucketBuilding a bug box for insectsBuilding a hedgehog houseMaking a bird boxInstalling a window bird feederMaking a bat boxBrowse a variety of plants that are attractive to wildlifeView a selection of spring flowering bulbs

What a wonderful welcome to the new year to discover these beautiful seed pods on my Iris foetidissima. They really are a winter bonus, their bright shining seeds last for weeks. Apparently they are not attractive to birds; they don't appear

have minimum disturbance the plants are not stressed and the crops get a good kick start.This is a wonderful time of year, everything is emerging after the winter and the birds are certainly feeding and singing. Our land here is surrounded by woods

. Not surprisingly for an RSPB initiative, most people (over 99%) wanted to improve their gardens for birds, but I was really very pleased to see that over 95% wanted to improve them for insects too.One of this month's tips (leave a fallen tree where it is or move

A plaintive mewling took me to the end of the garden a couple of days ago. At first I thought a cat had caught a bird or had cornered a fledgling. As I got closer I realised it was coming from a tree and wondered if some strange seagull was lost