CLEANING AFTER THE COLD WAVE
If your garden plants look desolate after the prolonged cold snap, don’t panic. They will soon come back to life as the thermometer rises and the days lengthen.
In fact, many plants and seeds benefit from a period of freezing temperatures, as they have evolved to endure harsh winters and can become confused in mild years.
Don’t be too quick to cut off foliage that looks damaged. Wait until late winter as it will protect the new shoots underneath and create habitat for wildlife to shelter.
If you plant new plants in the fall, it is a good idea to check them after frost and, when necessary, tamp down the soil around them.
Plants such as biennial wallflowers can grow when the ground freezes and need to be pushed firmly into the ground.
If your lawn is soggy after thawing, aerate it with a garden fork, digging the tines into the soil and repeating the process at 15cm intervals across the lawn. When it gets warmer at the end of February, you can replant the bare areas.
In the garden you can add manure, but do not work the soil if it is too cold or wet.
If your garden plants look desolate after the prolonged cold snap, don’t panic. They will soon come back to life as the thermometer rises and the days get longer (File image)
SEED POTATOES
Late January to early February is the best time to plant potatoes.
This is the process of exposing them to light to encourage sprouting, before planting them starting in mid-March.
Place the tubers in an empty egg carton with the blunt end pointing up.
Place the box in a light, cool, dry place, such as a greenhouse, and leave it for a few weeks.

Late January to early February is the best time to plant potatoes (file image)
PREPARED POTS
This is a good month to get everything ready for the upcoming growing season.
Pots should be cleaned thoroughly between uses to prevent the transfer of pests and diseases.
Shake off excess dirt or clean them with a stiff brush, then wash them in warm soapy water and allow them to dry completely before replacing them in the shed or greenhouse.

Pots should be cleaned thoroughly between uses to prevent the transfer of pests and diseases (File Image)
PLANT OF THE WEEK
MAHONIA X MEDIA ‘LIONEL FORTESCUE’
This award-winning Oregon grape cultivar is a large, upright shrub reaching about 3m in height.
In late winter it will brighten the back of a border with its clusters of bright yellow scented flowers which can grow up to 40cm in length.
These rise in bold clusters against long, pointed, pinnate, dark green leaves.
Prefers well-drained soil and partial shade, although it can tolerate sun or full shade. The blue-black berries are also produced towards the end of winter.
It is named after the former Eton master who spent 40 years creating a garden at The Garden House in Devon.

Lionel Fortescue is named after the former Eton master who spent 40 years creating a garden at The Garden House in Devon.
READER QUESTION

There are many creative and sustainable ways to make plant labels, including using dried sticks from the garden (File Image)
Can you suggest a Sustainable alternative to plastic plant labels?
Heidi Maddocks, Sheffield
There are many creative and sustainable ways to make plant labels.
Dry the garden sticks, then split them in half with a sharp knife and use a permanent marker to write on the inside.
Stones painted with plant names can look very effective.
Or you can use acrylic pens to write on the metal lids of jam jars and then suspend them from an old stake using florist’s wire to secure them.
You can also use wooden popsicle sticks or paint stirrers and have the kids help you decorate them.