JOBS FOR THE WEEK
■ Take a walk through your garden and see what seeds or berries are available to collect, and keep for spring sowings.
■ Not everything needs to be tidied up – a pile of leaves can make a cosy bed for a hedgehog this winter.
■ Have you got all your garden furniture indoors or covered up for the winter? In the garage, these can be cleaned or rubbed with oil as necessary, or painted.
■ Acers and birches which need pruning should be done now to avoid risk of bleeding – their sap rises early so don’t leave it until spring. In general they don’t require any pruning but if there is branch that is in an awkward position or is diseased, now is the time to give it the chop.
■ Vines can be pruned hard, back to two buds of last year’s growth, to encourage fruiting spurs next time.
■ There’s still a fair amount of weeds in the ground – so dig them out or spray them off so you don’t have to face them in the spring.
■ Retailers are discounting bulbs now so grab a few and get them in the ground.