Cut greenery stems for indoors

Put forced bulbs in the light

If you planted hyacinths and ‘Paper White’ narcissi in late summer to enjoy their scented blooms indoors at Christmas, it’s time to get the pots out of the dark place where you’ve been forcing them. The shoots should now be about 5cm (2in) high and will flower in two to three weeks. Place them in a cool, light spot, but out of direct sunlight, so that the leaves can green up. After a few days, move them close to a warm, sunny window. Stand on trays of moist pebbles and keep them away from heat sources and draughts.

Check on stored tubers

It’s really worth checking over any stored tubers this week, just to make sure that they’re clean and dry with no signs of decay. Ro en dahlia tubers, canna rhizomes or gladioli corms will be useless, so a quick check will help preserve your stocks for next year. Lift up each tuber to look beneath it as well, then remove any ro en ones and dispose of them in your council green waste, rather than on your compost heap, to avoid spreading potential disease.

Let light into your cold frame

Cold frames protect plants from winter cold and give them a head start in spring. Although unheated, cold frames absorb solar energy through the glass roof and help shelter plants from the winter elements. However, a blanket of snow, or heavy frost, will prevent light from reaching your crops, so needs to be brushed away. If periods of extreme cold are forecast, give plants extra protection by filling the gaps between them with straw, placing a layer of horticultural fleece over them and laying bubble wrap or a blanket over the cold frame lid overnight.

Cut greenery stems for the house

Many garden plants provide beautiful evergreen branches for use in arrangements. Supplement a simple bought bouquet with stems of pittosporum, glossy skimmia, aromatic rosemary, dramatic mahonia, euonymus, trailing ivy, dainty berried cotoneaster and fragrant-flowered sarcococca. Cut the stems with sharp secateurs, then recut them indoors and leave in a container of cut flower food for a few hours before arranging. For floral foam arrangements, use small sprigs of foliage to cover the foam before adding flowers.

Tidy the shed

On a bright winter day, take the opportunity to clear out your garden shed – you’ll benefit from the fresh air, exercise and sense of satisfaction at a job well done! If possible, empty out all the contents so that you can dust away cobwebs, clean windows and surfaces and sweep the floor. Check everything is structurally sound and address any signs of rot. Take the opportunity to dispose of any broken or redundant items, secure together loose items, such as pots, stakes or twine, check that your chemicals are all still valid and group together any items that need repairing or sharpening.