GARDENING Weekly jobs Best of the bunch

●●Start to sow slow-maturing bedding plants such as African marigolds and antirrhinums under glass. ●●If weather permits, prepare seed beds on free-draining sandy soil by lightly forking over the surface, breaking down large lumps and raking the soil to a fine tilth. ●●Continue to bring in forced bulbs for indoor flowering as they become ready for extra warmth. ●●Examine stored dahlia tubers for any sign of rotting. ●●Check trellis, pergolas and arches which are supporting climbers and repair any that are damaged. ●●Before plants start growing actively, check on the ties that secure them to ●●Japanese quince (Chaenomeles)

These ornamental shrubs with spiny branches are often grown as wall shrubs and are really useful for brightening up shady spots with their red, pink and orange blooms.

The flowers unfurl on bare branches in February and are great for cutting and for Japanese planting schemes. Paleflowering cultivars blend better with other supports. Replace any that have rotted and add extra ties if needed. ●●Continue to plant bare root fruit trees and bushes if the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged. ●●If you have bought bare-root hedging plants which you can’t plant because the ground is waterlogged, open them out to allow air to circulate, cover roots with straw and store in an open, rodent-free place, keeping the roots moist to avoid dehydration. ●●Pot autumn-rooted fuchsia cuttings into small, individual pots. ●●Continue winterpruning trees, roses, climbers and shrubs before spring growth gets under way. shrubs, while the more vivid types are more suited to walls. Some early varieties have yellowing fruits in autumn. Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Moerloosei’ is among the best, producing beautiful apple-blossom flowers in early spring.

These hardy shrubs will thrive in most soils and are easy to grow, but they do need cutting back immediately after flowering to stop them becoming untidy.