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Tidy up piles of flowerpots and debris that could harbour snailsRaise patio containers on feet or bricks, to ensure their compost drains properlyAvoid walking on lawns covered with heavy frost, as you'll kill the grassProvide birds with fresh water

branches breaking under its weightSpread a mulch of compost over borders and around trees, shrubs and rosesClean algae and moss from paths and stepsSprinkle a top dressing of gritty compost over lawns

Fix nesting boxes for birds to suitable trees around your gardenService petrol lawn mowers and power toolsKeep indoor azaleas well-watered with rainwaterMake fat cakes and hang them among roses to encourage bluetits to feed off overwintering pests

Plant colourful, evergreen Phormium 'Cream Delight' in a patio pot to brighten winter displaysTake care not to walk over borders or on lawns where spring bulbs and flowers will be emergingOrder young plants from mail-order companies

Spread a layer of manure or compost around roses and shrubsPrepare areas for laying new lawns in spring, digging over, weeding and enriching the soilBe on the look out for slugs and snails, which will attack emerging shoots of perennials

It's been difficult to choose my 2009 weed of the year. Butercups and daisies continue to compete with grass in my lawn, as do those lovely rosettes of plantain. Then there are the dandelions. Oh dear, this isn't making my lawn sound very good is it

Dig out lawn weeds, such as daisies and dandelionsWatch out for greenfly and blackfly developing on shrubs, perennials and roses, and spray with a soft soap solution if infestations are badCollect hellebore seeds from ripe pods, and store

Maintain a lawn mowerWith just a few regular checks you can get the most from your petrol mower and reduce the time it takes to maintain a beautiful lawn. Simply spend a couple of minutes every month looking over your mower to keep it in peak

guide to creating leaf mould in a leaf heap.Lightweight leaf grabbersFlat-tined plastic or rubber rakeBesom broomLeaf blowerWoven plastic bagsRotary lawn mowerautumntwo hours (depending on quantity of leaves)Buy yourself a lightweight pair of grabbers

(apologies to all those people standing ankle deep in post-flood sludge who probably don't need a smarty-pants pointing at the silver-lining).Lawns - because it has been well-nigh impossible to get the mower out of the shed, grass has grown much longer than