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.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

-rooted hedging, roses, trees and shrubsFlowersPrune gooseberry bushes Fork over vacant beds, mixing in compost Plant fruit trees trained as cordons, fans or espaliersFruit & vegClear leaves from greenhouse gutters Check heaters daily to ensure they are working

, just a mile from where I am now. The reason, I'm sure, is that it truly lives up to its other English name - hedge brown. The gardens in East Dulwich are larger than those in Nunhead, and the fences are more likely to be overgrown by creepers

, such as wheat. The little birds prefer the small seeds, while the pigeons are less than impressed. I cram fat balls (without nets) into peanut feeders or place them on top of the hedge. I also cut apples or pears in half and put them, cut surface uppermost

you once had one stem you then have many which, depending on the variety, have different uses. Ash has always been used for arrows, sweet chestnut for fencing pales, willow for weaving and (in this case) hazel for pea sticks and hedge-laying.We drag

planting 'aliens', they stick out like sore thumbs.  By aliens I mean the good serviceable evergreens that work well in gardens but never quite fit in when planted near fields and woods. A tall conifer in a hedge looks as uncomfortable as a jockey in a

crucial time of year for wildlife? And it's not just ponds. In February I witnessed the clearing of shrubs and ivy by some councils - which were surely providing shelter for numerous hibernating creatures - and I've also seen contractors trimming hedges

, garden gnomes, stone ornaments, expensive bonsais and even whole ponds, hedges and fences are just some of the items regularly reported as stolen. A friend of mine had one of two box cones stolen from outside her front door. Apart from ruining

and brown males. And one of the large spotted Melecta species was resting, just out of clear sight, at the very top of the hedge. They seem to favour the higher leaves, leaving the lower ones for hoverflies and blow-flies. I’m wondering if there is a

, such as lavender and viper’s bugloss. Then there are the trees and shrubs that have been too big to consider until now. And perhaps I’ll have room for a hedge or mini meadow (who am I kidding?).And then there’s the wildlife. Which species can I lure into my garden