London (change)
Today 16°C / 9°C
Tomorrow 19°C / 8°C

Job of the week

Plant hyacinths in a pot

The sweet smell of hyacinths is one that lifts the spirit as a sure sign that winter has finally come to an end. Hyacinth bulbs are widely available in a broad spectrum of colours. Whatever their shade, they look spectacular planted on their own in a rustic terracotta pot. It's a quick and easy job with stunning rewards in spring.
Takes just 30 minutes

Flowers

  • Take cuttings from pansies and violas
  • Pot up tender perennials grown outside
  • Prune rambling roses after flowering

Fruit & veg

  • Finish summer pruning trained apple and pear trees
  • Harvest apples, pears, plums and gages as they ripen
  • Save seeds from varieties of beans, herbs and tomatoes

Greenhouse

  • Line greenhouses with bubble polythene
  • Clean staging and capillary matting to use next year
  • Bring tender agapanthus and eucomis under cover

Around the garden

  • Collect, wash and store away canes and plant supports
  • Improve drainage on compacted lawns
  • Cut hedges to keep them neat, and control their size