• Even though not much has happened, the clock has been ticking on and we're starting to get closer to spring and the growing season, so it's certainly time now to start looking through seed catalogues and planning what you're going to grow from seed. Every year I miss out on some that I meant to sow because I leave it too late. There are also always at least one or two packets of seed that I buy but never seem to get around to sowing.
• Plan on hanging a few vegetable plants on your porch or deck for a convenient harvest. Bush cucumbers, small tomato varieties, and even lettuce and spinach can be grown in hanging baskets. Many herbs including chives, parsley, and thyme are also well-suited in a raised bed improves drainage and gives an earlier start in areas with cold, wet soil.
• Rake seed beds for first plantings and cover with cloches if you can, this will give you a head start.

• If the forecast is for an early spring and blooms begin arriving, it is a perfect time to seed lawn.
• January and February are ideal months to lime the lawn if you have not done so in recent years. Lawns prefer a pH range of 6.2 - 6.8 If needed, apply 50 lb. of lime per 1,000 square feet of lawn area. This will raise the pH ½ point. If you need to apply more lime, wait six weeks between applications.

• In icy weather, wrap the tubs or pots of container-grown shrubs and trees with sacking, and delay planting out.
• Although the plant you are using in a container may be cold hardy, it may not be able to withstand the colder winter temperatures because its roots are not protected by the ground.
• If you have containers that are not being used throughout the winter, be sure to turn them over to keep them from collecting water that could freeze and crack the container.

Annuals and biennials

• Continue weeding beds and adding manure or compost.
• You can start to think about which plants will do best in which position. The majority of annuals prefer full sun and well-drained soil with a moderate humus content. If your soil is clay, you can amend it with compost or well-rotted manure; after the first year, you should need only a light reapplication in spring.
• Sow sweet peas in a cold frame

Perennials

• Top dress you borders, preferably with well rotted compost but you can also use granular feed.
• Prune Buddleias and Hydrangeas
• Take cuttings of Fucias and Pelargoniums
• Take basal cuttings of Delphiniums
• Split Snowdrops
• Cut down border Chrysanthemum

Roses

• In milder areas, continue to prune, spray dormant oil, and take hardwood cuttings from dormant plants. Plant dormant, bare-root stock where ground is not too wet. If necessary, prune after planting to establish desired growth pattern of young trees. At nurseries, view blooming camellia varieties and select for planting. Fertilize plants that show signs of new growth.
• Use an old pair of tights as a tree tie. They're strong, don't rot, are soft and cheap. Tie around the tree and stake in a figure of 8 so that the tree trunk doesn't rub against the stake.
• Moving shrubs
  When transplanting established plants, prune away one-third of branches to compensate for root damage loss. Always cut back to a growth bud (in the angle of a leaf and the stem).
• By forcing the plant to produce new shoots, pruning actually rejuvenates trees and shrubs. Cutting off the end of stems will usually cause several branches to grow back. Always remove dead or diseased branches first and then proceed to prune others for the effect you wish to achieve. When pruning these branches, make the cut just above a bud that points in the direction you want the new branch to grow. Don't prune plants that normally bloom in the spring or you will loose any chance of flowering this year. Wait until after they have bloomed to make any necessary pruning cuts.
• Fruit trees will respond well to pruning towards the middle of this month. Thinning the canopy of the trees will provide much needed air circulation that will reduce the opportunity for fungal diseases.
• Something that is often ignore is that trees will fare much better especially fruit trees if you feed them. Use a water soluble fertiliser to give an early boost.
  All trees shrubs and hedges will benefit from an application of granular feed
  

• Work the area for early-spring, garden crops as soon as possible. Apply lime, if your soil tests indicate a need.
• If the pH in your asparagus bed is too low, you can apply lime or wood ashes. To find out how much, The ideal pH for asparagus is 6.0 to 6.8.
• Even under ideal storage conditions, some vegetable seeds have a fairly short life and probably will not be good one or two years after purchase. These include sweet corn, onion, okra, bean, and parsnip.
• Early varieties of onions are most productive when grown from transplants (small plants) or from sets (small, onion bulbs grown from seed the previous season). Direct seeding is satisfactory for growing Springs Onions.
• Don't throw out leek roots -- replant them. In just 60 to 90 days, you'll harvest a second bunch of long, thick stalks just as tasty and tender as the first ones. You can even use roots of leeks bought at the grocery store, giving you, in effect, two leeks for the price of one.
• Chitting is the green-sprouting of seed potatoes for quicker rooting and up to three weeks earlier maturity. Chitting is achieved by placing seed potatoes either in full sunlight or under fluorescent lights three weeks prior to planting.
• Sow Broad Beans, Peas, Snap Peas and Spinach
  In the warmer, sheltered areas you can think about planting early potatoes.
  

• The heated greenhouse or conservatory offers plenty of opportunities for early sowings to be made in trays or post filled with specific or multi-purpose compost. Lilies, Pelargoniums, Fressias and Begonia can all be sown in gentle heat.

• In the greenhouse, you can now sow Parsley
• Outdoors you can sow Fennel in a sheltered spot

• Fruit trees will respond well to pruning towards the middle of this month. Thinning the canopy of the trees will provide much needed air circulation that will reduce the opportunity for fungal diseases.