After an unusually cold January let’s hope we can now look forward to brighter and longer days in the garden this month!

• There is still time for hard winter frosts to descend before spring arrives, so be prepared to protect tender plants such as camellias, azaleas, hydrangeas, palms and tropicals with fleece. Wrap them up well, but do not tighten around the plants, as they need air flow, not suffocation. Plentiful stocks of fleecing products are still available at the Garden Centre.

• Most plant damage and suffering is caused by extreme cold winds, coupled with frost and wet ground.

• Continue to prune roses, shrubs, fruit trees and soft fruit.

• We have over 20 varieties of seed potatoes now in stock. For early crops these should be ‘chitted’ in a single layer in trays, or alternatively, old egg boxes are perfect. The ‘chitted’ tubers should be planted after the frosts have ended, when shoots are dark green or purple and 1"/2cms long.

• Our vegetable section also includes 6 varieties of onion sets/shallots/ garlic, which are available now. Why not try the new ‘Red Baron’ onion set or the ‘Red Sun’ shallot as well as your old favourites.

• An extensive range of bulbs, tubers and corms has just arrived in our shop. The latest fashion is Canna or Calla bulbs. Great show throughout the summer either in beds or posts For early flowers, start Cannas, Callas, begonia corms and dahlia tubers in the greenhouse or conservatory.

• Get the soil ready in the vegetable garden, borders and beds. A good freeze does wonders breaking up dug soil, even clay!

• The vegetable garden will also benefit if compost/manure/leaf mould is incorporated when digging.

• In the greenhouse, sow varieties of round, seeded early garden peas, along with broad beans. These can be planted outside next month for early June crops. Tomato seeds can also be sown now, if intended for planting in greenhouse borders. These should be germinated at 20ºC in as much light as possible. When the shoots are about 1"tall, reduce the temperature.

• Now is the time to sow ageratum, impatiens, petunia and sweet peas in the greenhouse or conservatory.

• Greenhouse temperatures should be kept up, and the atmosphere should not be too damp. Ventilate slightly if necessary. Botrytis (grey mould) thrives in cold, damp, static air conditions.

• Daylight hours are very short, and it is important now to keep greenhouse and conservatory glass clean for maximum benefit to plants. For those of you who do not have adequate space for a conventional greenhouse, why not try one of our mini greenhouses. Great Priority Prices. Even one that will fit over a Growbag ideal for your tomatoes

• Our new stock of roses has now been potted, and we are offering probably one of the largest selections in Essex – over 1500 bushes in hundreds of varieties, plus fifteen varieties of speciality standards. This month is the ideal time to plant with special rose compost, which is available at the Garden Centre.

• We have just received an outstanding selection of fruit and ornamental trees which have been potted into 15 litre containers, and all come with full colour descriptive labels.

• If you find any tiny fungus gnats (sciarid flies) on seedlings, try drenching the pots with liquid ‘Derris’. The eggs and adults are harmless, but the grubs feed on young roots.

• Outdoor pansies and primulas may be attacked by white or green fly. Sticky leaves with white flecks indicate the presence of the pests. Spray with a systemic bug killer.

• If the weather gets warmer, ‘leather jackets’ and ‘chafer grubs’ may appear early, with devastating effects to lawns. Eliminate these with Bayer’s ‘Grub Killer’. This can be found in our shop, together with an extensive range of other sprays and chemicals for dealing with almost any pest or disease.

• There is still time to spray winter ‘Tar Oil Wash’ on your fruit and ornamental trees to kill the over-wintering eggs of aphids, capsids and sap suckers.

• Very wet lawns are usually caused by over compaction. If there is a break in the weather, spike or hollow tine to provide aeration, allowing the soil to breathe.

• Customers have asked us how to slow the growth of conifer trees. One way is to dig a circular trench, 2ft deep, with the perimeter of the circle reaching just inside the tips of the outermost branches. The cutting of the roots will slow down the growth of the top and sides of the trees.

• February is the ideal time to plant new hedging, laurels and leylandii conifers, all of which are currently in stock at the Garden Centre. Varieties include: Common, Oval Leaf and Golden Privet, Purple and Green Beech, Hornbeam, Quickthorn and Blackthorn, Lonicera, Field Maple, Buxus, Green and Golden Leylandii and assorted Laurels.

• Ornamental and fruit trees can also be planted in their dormant period.

• Pruning and shaping of apple and pear, plum and cherry trees should also be carried out before the sap rises again. Trim out diseased branches to encourage new growth, and with larger branches, seal the cut surfaces with ‘Arbrex’ to avoid pest and disease attack.

• Now is the ideal time to make a list of your seed requirements for the coming season in the comfort of your armchair. We have a comprehensive range available from Unwins, Johnsons and Thompson and Morgan.

• This spring we will be offering a phenomenal range of bedding plants, all produced in our own greenhouses. There will be many new and exciting varieties to tempt you with.

• Our feathered friends will be short of natural nourishment, and would benefit from high energy food. We have a vast stock of food, feeders and boxes available at the Garden Centre. Why not come in and buy either a ‘Fat Snax Tub’ of 50 netted balls of bird food which is on offer at £8.99 instead of £12.99 for Priority customers or you can buy the refill bag of 50 Snax Balls for only £7.99

• Don’t forget to service your lawn mower ready for the spring!!

Happy Gardening!