Must do's for this month

Jobs that won't wait
Cover vulnerable plants growing outdoors with cloches or horticultural fleece if severe frost is forecast. Protect newly planted and susceptible trees and shrubs over the winter with windbreaks or by wrapping plants in hessian or horticultural fleece.

Clear out and take under cover decorative containers that are not frost-hardy. Protect pots containing plants of borderline hardiness with insulation and by grouping them together in a sheltered spot.

Check the pots and bowls of bulbs are being forced for Christmas and new Year flowering. Ensure they do not dry out or become waterlogged. Move them into a light but cool position indoors when the leaves reach about 2.5 cm (1 in) in height.

Plant any remaining tulip and hyacinth bulbs in the garden without delay.

Plant roses if conditions permit or heel in if the weather is very frosty. Prune climbers and ramblers and cut back hybrid tea roses and floribundas to reduce damage from windrock.

Cut the lawn for the last time this year and clean and store the lawnmower.

Prune wisteria to ensure and increase flowering next year.

Prepare for autumn and winter gales by removing dead or decaying branches on established trees and checking that recently planted trees are well staked and ties are secure. Also check fences, trellis and other structures supporting plants to make sure they will stand up to high winds.

Clear fallen leaves and other debris so slugs, snails and other pests have nowhere to overwinter. Use fallen leaves to make leafmould.

Deal with any pests or diseases left exposed when plants lose their leaves.

Harvest vegetables including the first Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbages, endives, spinach, turnips, swedes and Jerusalem artichokes.

Consider installing a pond heater to keep a small area of water ice free if you keep fish.



Information in this section comes from Reader's Digest New Gardening Year - a month-by-month guide to success in your garden

November Planting guide with Avon Mill Garden Centre

In January, the middle of winter, thoughts of gardening may still seem a distant dream - rather like the summer holidays. But this is the turning point of the year when you can increasingly start to enjoy gardening again. Much cold weather lies ahead, but often the first spring bulbs are poking through the ground, the buds on many shrubs and trees are beginning to swell and the days are starting to grow longer - albeit almost imperceptibly.

There are not many outdoor jobs that can be done, but planning, buying, and starting off the season in the greenhouse are all pleasant tasks to undertake now. And they all satisfy the urge to be doing something constructive for the gardening year ahead.