ON A rainy overcast day, take indoor plants out into the rain to give them a wash down and freshen up, away from intense sunshine and drying winds.
This removes all the dust collected inside and you can check for any pest and disease problems and treat as needed.
Give them a feed with a seaweed solution to encourage new growth and add a wetting agent to the surface of the potting mix if it has dried out and become water-repellent.
Get the show on the roadLook out for new season's flower seedlings in the garden centres now and prepare flower beds or pots ready for planting seeds and seedlings to give you a lovely show in autumn and winter.
For height in borders or drifts in the garden, foxgloves are great and tower above others with their stately white, mauve and pink spires. Delphiniums, larkspurs and Canterbury bells all add height to the garden.
Smells like a plan
SWEETLY perfumed stock can go in from punnets now. If you live in a cooler climate, plant seedlings of Russell lupins.
They will flower the following spring into summer and love the frost to help initiate multiple spikes of flowers.
In dappled light try the perennial favourite granny bonnets, or aquilegias and sow seeds of honesty and forget-me-nots under deciduous trees now for a truly beautiful spring garden.
Other flowers to sow from seeds straight into pots or the garden include Virginian stock, which is an ideal filler around bulbs, poppies for the beautiful flowers and love-in-the-mist (Nigella).
Don't leave them hanging
TAKE down all hanging baskets and give them a health check now.
Perennial plants that have grown too large for the basket can be planted in the garden or sometimes divided and a smaller clump planted back into the basket and other clumps in the garden or given to friends.
Give them a feed of a slow-release fertiliser or pep them up with some liquid seaweed if they have been stressed.
Water all fertilisers in well and if it is hard to get the water to soak through, try immersing the basket in a sink or bucket of water and allowing water to bubble through the potting mix until fully soaked in.
