Plant for early flowers
Add glow to your garden with dainty yellow winter aconites, Eranthis hyemalis. They reach just 10cm in height, but offer a generous spread and are ideal for growing under deciduous shrubs. They’ll naturalise in semi-shade and after a few years you’ll be enjoying a carpet of blooms until March. Plant bulbs in autumn, or for better results, buy plants now.
Grow snowdrops
Snowdrops should be bought and planted ‘in the green’, rather than as bulbs. This means shortly after they have flowered and while still in leaf. Plant them 2.5cm apart in moist, well-drained soil that’s shaded in the summer. Label the spot to avoid accidentally disturbing them. Every few years, divide thick clumps after flowering.
Care for your roses
Prune roses by cutting each stem back to the lowest, outward-facing bud. Some types require additional care by removing dead wood and shortening leading shoots by a third.
Raise the rhubarb
This popular pudding tastes even better when the stems are homegrown. Choose a bright, frost-free winter weekend for planting. For success, prepare a planting hole in a sunny, well-drained spot and dig in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost and allow 75cm between each plant.
Rhubarb can be grown in pots, but they need to be very large containers. In their first year, plants should not be harvested or ‘forced’ – let the plants get established.
Cover with a rhubarb forcer in the second year, in January. Place a layer of straw over the crown, then put the forcer on top. This will exclude light and encourage early April pickings.
