It is now that the bold shapes and foliage colour provided by evergreens, such as conifers, holly and ivy, come into their own. Shrubs such as Cornus alba with its colourful glistening red young stems, Rubus biflorus and R. thibetanus with their arching white bloomed young shoots, brighten up dull, dismal days.



Seasonal Advice for the winter gardener:

Flower Garden: -

Continue to plant bare rooted trees and shrubs.

During early winter many trees and shrubs are readily propagated from hardwood cuttings at this time of year. Select a stem about 12-inch (30cm) long. Cut the top just above a leaf joint, and dip the bottom part into a hormone rooting power. These can be inserted into a shady, well-drained bed for rooting to take place; most will root within 12 months.

Giant leaves of Gunnera manicata should be folded over the crown of the plant to provide protection from the cold. In really cold areas the leaves may be cut off the plant and laid over the crown with a covering of straw then netted to keep the cover in position.

Tender climbers can be offered protection with unwonted conifer branches. These are held in place with netting or wires. Garden fleece or sackcloth is also useful for covering tender plants.

Cover tender rock garden plants with glass to protect them from winter damage by excessive wet. Woolly-leaved plants especially need protection. Plant lily bulbs in pots in readiness to move into the garden when weather conditions improve.

Kitchen Garden: -

Force rhubarb by covering one or two crowns with a box, up turned pot or barrel and cover the outside with straw, bracken or hay.

Lift artichokes, celery, leeks and parsnips if the ground is not frozen. Sow lettuce seeds in cold frames or under cloches.

Start winter pruning fruit trees after leaf fall.

Spray fruit trees with tar oil wash against insect eggs and hibernating grubs.

Grease-band any fruit tress that were not done last month. Renew bands that have trapped many insects.

Keep fleece handy to protect any remaining crops from frost.

Sow seeds of Broad beans for an early crop next summer.

Harvest leeks, radish, Brussels sprouts, and lettuce, celeriac, cabbage, parsnips, celery and winter spinach.

Continue to lift and store beetroot, carrots, turnips and swedes.

Clear away old crops and fork over soil; add farmyard manure now.

Make a trench for next year's runner beans. Gradually fill it with organic waste. Cover in spring before planting or sowing.

Cut canes of blackberries that fruited in September down to soil level, then tie in new canes that grew this year to the vacated spaces.

Lift and divide old rhubarb plants with a sharp spade, then replant each section. Take hardwood cuttings of trees and shrubs. Take lengths of stem, about 12in (30cm) long, removing the soft growth from the tip and making a straight cut just below a bud. Make a slit in the soil in a sheltered position, and then insert the cuttings up to at least half their length to root. In heavy soils fill the base of the slits with grit and sand to improve drainage. For trees like poplars and willows, shoots several feet long can be rooted: these should be supported with canes. Other plants that can be propagated now: Virginia creeper, forsythia, roses, deutzia, privet, buddleia, Viburnum Lonicera, dogwoods and Russian vine.

Greenhouse Garden: -

Cut back the stems of chrysanthemums when they have finished flowering but keep the compost moist.

Take root cuttings of plants such as anchusa, Oriental poppy, phlox, gaillardia and perennial verbascum.

Ventilate greenhouses on warmer days.

Water plants sparingly in the morning, and avoid wetting foliage. Check fuel levels regularly on paraffin and bottled gas heater.

General advice: -

Clear snow from branches of trees, particularly evergreens, where the weight can cause the boughs to break.

Clean out ditches, gulleys and drains to prevent a build-up of surface water.

Apply preservative to exposed wood.

Clear ponds of autumn debris, service electrical pumps and stop feeding fish. Building or repairing paths, steps and walls can be carried out, but do not lay concrete during frost.

Bring all watering equipment, hoses and sprinklers indoors.

Turn off the mains water supply to outside taps and insulate them.

Collect fallen leaves from under roses, as these could harbour disease.

Dig over vacant soil, ready for planting.

Clean out nesting boxes ready for the new breeding season.

Move houseplants to windowsills during the day to give them plenty of light.

Rake up fallen leaves from lawns, paths, patios and borders.

Use a rake to scatter unsightly worm casts on the lawn.

Prune deciduous trees to shape now that they are without leaves.