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Buy tulips now while they're fresh in garden centres, but hold off planting till next month Plant daffodils, hyacinths and crocus in potsLift and pot up tender perennials to protect over winterClear away faded summer bedding and annuals, composting

pull them out if they appear in the garden. Every two weeks from early spring onwards spray plants with a systemic action fungicide.hollyhocks, mallowall year roundCommon fungal problems affecting plantsIris leaf spotRose blackspotRose rustTulip fire

are well watered. Tie to supports as stems developRemove rose suckers - excavate the soil so you can cut them back as far as possibleSpray roses regularly to prevent pests and diseases getting holdPrune the long sideshoots on wisteria, cutting them all back

Plant daffodil bulbs in pots and borders Check roses for suckers and cut off any you find, just below groundTrim conifer hedges to neaten their appearance and control heightEmpty pots of faded early summer bedding, adding old plants to the compost

Cut late-summer-flowering clematis right down to soil levelDivide congested clumps of perennials such as asters, campanulas, rudbeckias and chrysanthemums after floweringPlant bare-rooted rosesDig up and compost exhausted summer beddingPlant out

Clear faded growth of golden hops and annual climbers from pergolas and trellisPlant bare-root roses in well-prepared soilTransplant shrubs and conifers that have outgrown their positionCut down chrysanthemums to soil level after floweringMake leaf

're rarely troubled by pests and diseases and will self-seed readily all over the garden.Also popular is the Lenten rose hybrid, Helleborus x hybridus, whose flowers range in colour from immaculate white to virtually black, with nearly every shade of green

are then infected, they too eventually turn yellow and drop. If not dealt with, the plant will weaken.Rose black spot is very similar and can be dealt with in the same way.Leaves are marked with purple or brownish-black spots, then turn yellow and fall. Smaller

Bulk up the compost heap with spent flowerheads and stems from around the garden Improve drainage on compacted lawns by spiking the ground with a fork or aeratorCut everlasting flowers and ornamental grasses for dryingPut netting across ponds

Gradually lower the cutting height of your mower as grass growth increasesSpray roses showing signs of diseases such as blackspot, rust or powdery mildewApply a combined weed, feed and moss killer to your lawn if you think it needs itTop up water