Tired bench needs a new lease of life

My hardwood garden bench is not looking its best. Is there an easy way to smarten it up?

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DAVID: Sand it down and wipe over with teak oil. Apply evenly with a clean paintbrush or cloth. Don’t be tempted to apply too many layers to get a finish you want. Wipe off excess that’s collected around joints. It’ll take a few hours to dry, but once it does it’ll look brand new. gardener’s staple. Pick bright purple, yellow and white ones and fill up your pots and window boxes over winter.

This flash of colour will look great planted into winter displays and will flare up quite well as long as they’re a hardy variety like the Viola tricolor.

They’re best kept in moist but well-drained soil, so in winter plant them in containers to enable you to move them out of wet weather.

DOGWOOD

Of course, winter colour isn’t all about flowering interest. Cornus alba ‘Westonbirt’ (Siberian dogwood) is a small woody shrub with remarkably red bare stems that offer structural splendour during the winter.

Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ can also offer beautiful yellow bark, as well as white flowers and fruits from spring to autumn so its ornamental offering will change as the seasons do.

HELLEBORUS

Though these are commonly known as the Christmas rose, don’t let their name fool you – they’ll flower right through to spring. Helleborus niger is a cultivar that provides snowy whites and bright pinks, but H. Orientalis varieties will flower in white, green and even dark red for a true midwinter marvel.

LATE WINTER BULBS

Crocus flowers and snowdrops are typically a sign that winter is fading and spring is on its way. Usually planted in bulb form during autumn, they can also be bought as pregrown pot ones in late winter to flower in your own garden.

Start the season off