Flower Garden: Remove lilac suckers close to where they join the main roots. Divide overgrown bergenias, and replant young segments in fresh soil. Continue planting deciduous trees and shrubs when ground conditions are suitable. Prune all new bushy roses hard to healthy buds low down. Try to finish planting new roses by the end of the month. Protect azaleas and dwarf rhododendron roots with a mulch of straw or bark.

Kitchen Garden: Cover rhubarb crowns with forcing pots, boxes or upturned buckets to force new young stems. Check where frost clears first in the morning or does not reach, and plan early sowings for these areas. Protect wall-trained figs from frost with a double thickness of fleece. In cold weather, pull up cabbages and Brussels sprouts, and suspend upside down in a shed to keep them frost free. Complete digging on heavy soil as soon as possible, and leave the surface tough. Cover a small area of soil with clear polythene to warm up and keep dry for a seedbed.

Lawns & Hedges: Continue planting new deciduous hedges if the ground is workable.

Greenhouse: Wash pots, seedtrays and labels in mild disinfectant, ready for early sowings. Bring in boxes of chrysanthemum stools to force early shoots for cuttings.

Water Garden: Ventilate frozen ponds: melt a hole with a kettle or tin of hot water. Remove nets installed to keep falling leaves out of the water.

In General: fKeep a garden logbook and transfer important dates and activities to your diary. Finish compiling seed orders and send as soon as possible Plant grape vines, either in large pots or in a soil border. Build a polythene tent over the staging as extra protection for pot plants and early sowings. Prepare new beds and smaller areas for spring planting.