The gardening year: winter

 Introduce blossoms

Plant the prettiest tree that blossoms bravely through mild periods from November to March: the winter-flowering cherry. Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis Rosea' has great autumn foliage in rich shades of orange and yellow, then produces flowers along its bare branches during the colder months.

Your chores checklist

■ Plant fruit trees and bushes in mild weather. The new gooseberry Xenia promises no thorns, mildew resistance and large, sweet red fruit.

■ Tuck up veg beds for winter.

■ Bring tender plants into the greenhouse or conservatory.

■ Order bare-rooted roses and plant if ground isn't frosted, otherwise heel into a spare patch of ground and wait. Read more on planting bare-root roses

■ Grow a few berry plants on the patio for winter cheer: Gaultheria ‘Pink Pearl' (left) has masses of fat pink berries and thrives in containers.

■ Sit pots on stones or bricks to ensure good drainage.

■ Evaluate the garden: if there's little more than bare branches, brighten up the bleak landscape with strategically placed conifers and evergreen shrubs.

■ Treat timber in the garden with wood preservative.

■ Have the lawnmower serviced, and tools and secateurs sharpened.

■ Scrub pots clean and store indoors over winter.

■ If your garden is windy, prune back tall shrubs and roses to prevent windrock.

■ Lag outside water pipes and taps with insulating foam.

■ Rejuvenate established shrubs by cutting out some older branches.

■ Indulge in a little fireside gardening: browse catalogues.