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I hope you had a good Christmas and a break from your normal routine - maybe a little extra sleep and a lot of extra time in the garden or greenhouse. I’m enjoying the post-Christmas peace and quiet, and the chance to spot some winter birdlife

relatively easily, without worrying about sections going brown (unlike the Leyland cypress). A dense yew hedge is perfect for nesting birds, and the red arils are eaten by thrushes in winter. It’s not the fastest growing tree, but yew isn’t as slow growing

Although there is not a huge amount of ‘planty stuff’ to be done at this time of year, it doesn’t mean you should be sitting in a comfy chair watching afternoon television.Late winter is your last chance to sort out any hard landscaping jobs

, but the established ones, too. Feeding will help plants to recover after winter, since the cold and wet weather earlier in the year will have washed a lot of minerals and nutrients out of the soil, and may even have killed some roots. So go on, don't be mean - feed

down to about a foot from the ground during winter, and new shoots will start developing from late February to continue the cycle.Many great clematis have been bred in this country by Raymond Evison, who own Guernsey Clematis, but 'Arabella' comes from

, the process is complete.AdamAvoid sickly plants, such as brassicas, if they have clubroot, and blight-ridden potato and tomato plants.Autumn is a good time to either dig your compost into the soil, or spread it on the surface, allowing winter frosts to break

Home-grown leeks are far superior to those bought in shops. They are very easy to grow from seed, and if you sow at intervals from February to June you can harvest from late August, through winter until the following February.Like most other

Shaping topiary is a fun and inexpensive way to create year-round interest in the garden. These plant sculptures contrast dramatically with flowers in summer, and bring structure, style and form to winter gardens.If you haven't tried topiary before

.Move the worm bin to a frost-free place during winter, as worms may die if left outside.More on home compostingHow to build a compost binFollow Chris Beardshaw's advice on making compostRead Adam Pasco's blog on worm composting all year round

with the idea of bunging in a few extra winter and spring crops such as purple sprouting broccoli, kale and cabbage. And I'd like a few fairly quick croppers to see me through late summer and autumn, but I can't think of anything other than kohl rabi that'll do