At Sandy Lane Nurseries we like to share our gardening expertise.

Here are a few monthly gardening tips from our expert team.

January
  1. Recycle your Christmas tree by shredding it for mulch
  2. Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days
  3. Dig over any vacant plots that have not been dug already
  4. Repair and re-shape lawn edges
  5. Inspect stored tubers of Dahlia, Begonia and Canna for rots or drying out
  6. Prune apple and trees
  7. Start forcing rhubarb
  8. Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming season
  9. Keep putting out food and water for hungry birds
  10. Prepare a polythene shelter for outdoor peaches and nectarines, to protect them from peach leaf curl
February
  1. Prepare vegetable seed beds, and sow some vegetables under cover
  2. Chit potato tubers
  3. Protect blossom on apricots, nectarines and peaches
  4. Net fruit and vegetable crops to keep the birds off
  5. Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering
  6. Divide bulbs such as snowdrops, and plant those that need planting 'in the green'
  7. Prune Wisteria
  8. Prune hardy evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges
  9. Prune conservatory climbers
  10. Cut back deciduous grasses left uncut over the winter
March
  1. Plant shallots, onion sets and early potatoes
  2. Protect new spring shoots from slugs
  3. Plant summer-flowering bulbs
  4. Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials
  5. Top dress containers with fresh compost
  6. Mow the lawn on dry days (if needed)
  7. Cut back Cornus (dogwood) and Salix (willow) grown for colourful winter stems
  8. Weeds come back in to growth - deal with them before they get out of hand
  9. Start feeding fish and using the pond fountain; remove pond heaters
  10. Open the greenhouse or conservatory doors and vents on warm days
April
  1. Keep weeds under control
  2. Protect fruit blossom from late frosts
  3. Tie in climbing and rambling roses
  4. Sow hardy annuals and herb seeds
  5. Start to feed citrus plants
  6. Increase the water given to houseplants
  7. Feed hungry shrubs and roses
  8. Sow new lawns or repair bare patches
  9. Prune fig trees
  10. Divide bamboos and waterlilies
May
  1. Watch out for late frosts. Protect tender plants
  2. Earth up potatoes, and promptly plant any still remaining
  3. Plant out summer bedding at the end of the month (except in cold areas)
  4. Collect rainwater and investigate ways to recycle water for irrigation
  5. Regularly hoe off weeds
  6. Open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days
  7. Mow lawns weekly
  8. Check for nesting birds before clipping hedges
  9. Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs
  10. Watch out for viburnum beetle and lily beetle grubs
June
  1. Hoe borders regularly to keep down weeds
  2. Be water-wise, especially in drought-affected areas
  3. Pinch out sideshoots on tomatoes
  4. Harvest lettuce, radish, other salads and early potatoes
  5. Position summer hanging baskets and containers outside
  6. Cut lawns at least once a week
  7. Plant out summer bedding
  8. Stake tall or floppy plants
  9. Prune many spring-flowering shrubs
  10. Shade greenhouses to keep them cool and prevent scorch
July
  1. Check clematis for signs of clematis wilt
  2. Place conservatory plants outside now that it is warm
  3. Water tubs and new plants if dry, but be water-wise
  4. Deadhead bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials, to ensure continuous flowering
  5. Pick courgettes before they become marrows
  6. Treat apple scab
  7. Clear algae, blanket weeds and debris from ponds, and keep them topped up
  8. Order catalogues for next year’s spring-flowering bulbs
  9. Give the lawn a quick-acting summer feed, especially if a spring feed was not done
  10. Give woodwork a lick of paint or preserver, while the weather is dry
August
  1. Prune Wisteria
  2. Don’t delay summer pruning restricted fruits
  3. Deadhead flowering plants regularly
  4. Watering! Particularly containers, and new plants - preferably with grey recycled water or stored rainwater
  5. Collect seed from favourite plants
  6. Harvest sweetcorn and other vegetables as they become ready
  7. Continue cutting out old fruited canes on raspberries
  8. Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners
  9. Keep ponds and water features topped up
  10. Feed the soil with green manures
September
  1. Divide herbaceous perennials
  2. Pick autumn raspberries
  3. Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals
  4. Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage spoils them
  5. Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway
  6. Keep up with watering of new plants, using rain or grey water if possible
  7. Start to reduce the frequency of houseplant watering
  8. Clean out cold frames and greenhouses so that they are ready for use in the autumn
  9. Cover leafy vegetable crops with bird-proof netting
  10. Plant spring flowering bulbs
October
  1. Clear up fallen autumn leaves regularly
  2. Cut back perennials that have died down
  3. Divide herbaceous perennials and rhubarb crowns
  4. Move tender plants, including aquatic ones, into the greenhouse
  5. Plant out spring cabbages
  6. Harvest apples, pears, grapes and nuts
  7. Prune climbing roses
  8. Order seeds for next year
  9. Last chance to mow lawns and trim hedges in mild areas
  10. Renovate old lawns or create new grass areas by laying turf
November
  1. Clear up fallen leaves - especially from lawns, ponds and beds
  2. Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent water-logging
  3. Plant tulip bulbs for a spring display next year
  4. Prune roses to prevent wind-rock
  5. Plant out winter bedding
  6. Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem
  7. Insulate the greenhouse from frost - bubble wrap works well
  8. Stop winter moth damage to fruit trees using grease bands around the trunks
  9. Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden
  10. Use a seasonal bonfire - where this is allowed - to dispose of excess debris unfit for composting
December
  1. Check your winter protection structures are still securely in place
  2. Check that greenhouse heaters are working OK
  3. Prevent ponds and stand pipes from freezing
  4. Prune open-grown apples and pears (but not those trained against walls)
  5. Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding
  6. Harvest leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage, sprouts and remaining root crops
  7. Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted
  8. Take hardwood cuttings
  9. Keep mice away from stored produce
  10. Reduce watering of houseplants