3 tips for a pretty spring

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Sow summer-flowering cornflowers directly into the garden in warmer areas or in pots in cooler regions for planting out in spring. You can sow them in early spring, but this hardy annual will be stronger, with taller stems, and flower earlier if sown now. Choose a sunny spot, and don’t add fertiliser – they do well in poor soil.

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Lift dahlia tubers and gladioli corms and store in a dry place. Dust with a powdered fungicide to prevent any diseases taking hold over winter. You can plant them out from mid-August in warm regions, until late December. •

Scan the rose catalogues and prepare new rose beds for planting time in winter. Add plenty of compost to the soil now in areas where you plan to plant.