What a winter we’ve had, and it’s not over yet! Several plants on the margins of hardiness are looking a bit sad here, but I’m waiting until Spring before I do anything drastic like digging them up as they may yet recover. If it happens to you, try looking on the bright side – if you’ve lost a plant, you now have a brand new opportunity to put something else lovely in its place. Just make sure that, if you chose something a bit borderline hardy, wait a couple of months at least before you plant and cover in fleece if frost is forecast. Keep it well watered as well.

One thing I’m glad I did last summer is to take some cuttings. I’ve got several trays of penstemons and salvias in the greenhouse looking fine, so I can fill at least some of the gaps for free. It’s a really good and easy way of ensuring you don’t completely lose something you are fond of, and it takes up little space. Not much use to you now, though if you didn’t do it last year – sorry! I’ll have some for sale on my plant stall when we open the garden again on 1 and 2 May.

One of the long standing assumptions of many of us who grow snowdrops is that they are best moved ‘in the green’ or straight after flowering. So I was surprised to read in the latest RHS magazine ‘The Garden’ that this is not longer believed to be the case. Not that the gardening catalogues seem to agree – there are still many adverts to buy them in this state at the moment. The problem with not planting them when they still green is that it’s hard to remember a) where they are if completely dormant and there are no leaves showing and b) where to put them. I tend to end up planting in what appears to be a gap, but turns out to have something underneath the soil. So I plan to carry on lifting and dividing them after flowering on account of the fact I’ve been doing it for years and it works. So there.

Another ‘myth’ that has been busted is that it makes no difference to your compost heap if you wee on it. Not that I ever do myself you will be relieved to hear, but as a keen recycler, the idea appeals to me. I have, on occasion, persuaded small boys to do so who think it great fun. It was said to encourage the heap to compost by activating the relevant elements in the heap. Shame if not true.

If you were given pots of bulbs such as hyacinths or daffodils over Christmas you can plant them out in the garden to come again next Spring. They will come later, and probably smaller, but they are still pretty and often deliciously fragrant. Deadhead them before you plant . I put a large group of the daintier multi- stemmed white hyacinths all around my shrub roses to give a bit of early interest while the roses do their dead stick impression. I’m looking forward to seeing them in flower, probably and the end of April.

I’m hoping for a lovely, warm spring when it rains gently and regularly, but after I’m in bed. No horrid winds and early aphid attacks. Lots of thrushes , frogs and toads to eat the slugs and snails. And some lovely days and evenings in the garden with friends and wine. Lovely!