Presenters

Jenny Hendy couldn't be kept out of the garden as a child and her fascination with plants, birds and creepy-crawlies eventually blossomed into a full-blown career as a gardening author, designer and presenter. Trained as a botanist, (she still has a boffin-like fondness for Latin plant names) she worked for Gardening Which? magazine before turning freelance.

She's not an experienced veg grower but has recently got into growing fruit and veg in pots. Her specialities include gardening for wildlife, container or patio gardening ("I love tropical- looking exotica") and topiary.

Jenny says: "As long as you don't overdo it, gardening is a wonderful way to keep fit and a great de-stressor too!"

Here's some great tips for your gardens and plants, inside and out, courtesy of Jenny...

GARDEN WORK EARLY IN THE YEAR

High Wind Havoc

Take the opportunity during these fine, frosty days to have a really good look round checking the boundaries, wall trellis and securing climbers and wall shrubs. Recently planted shrubs, trees and fruit bushes won't have established a big enough root system and may have been knocked to one side by the wind. Gently tread the exposed roots until the plants are upright and if necessary, secure the stem with a stake and rose-bush tie.

Green Light for Pruning

Provided frost isn't forecast and you don't live in a very exposed area of Staffordshire or South Cheshire, you can start to tackle the pruning of hardy deciduous trees, shrubs and hedges from now on. Avoid pruning spring and early summer flowering species or you'll cut the flowering wood off! You can already see the buds waiting to burst forth on forsythia. Leave the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) and bush roses until the end of next month - this is because they tend to sprout quickly after pruning and the soft growth is vulnerable to frost damage. Good candidates for spring pruning include shrubs grown for their attractively coloured leaves or variegated foliage such as ornamental elder (Sambucus), Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo' (Nine Bark) , variegated dogwoods and gold leaved spiraea. Deciduous hedges, ivy- or honeysuckle-covered walls and fences are a favourite with nesting birds so make sure you carry out any necessary work before building commences next month.

Early Sowings and Cuttings

If you have a heated greenhouse and plenty of bright window ledge space indoors, you can start sowing tomatoes, fibrous-rooted begonias, geraniums (pelargoniums), salvias and sweet peas all of which benefit from an early start. Alternatively you can wait to buy pots of seedlings or rooted cuttings (tots) from your local garden centre next month. Because of the mild winter many of my 'patio' plants - tender perennial bedding varieties- have survived the winter so far in sheltered spots round the garden and have plenty of suitable growth for taking shoot tip cuttings. These can be rooted in seed and cutting compost in small pots covered with a polythene bag on the window ledge e.g. variegated and lime-green leaved helichrysum; diascia; brachyscome; trailing geraniums and Bidens.

More Manure

Transform heavy, sticky Potteries clay by digging in plenty of well-rotted stable manure (at least 3 years old), spent mushroom compost (Care! This contains lime) or home-made garden compost. Take the opportunity to spread this out between plants in ornamental areas or turn it into the top surface of the vegetable plot. The natural chemicals which are released help the fine clay particles clump together to form a good crumb structure which is better for root growth and improves drainage. If you have sandy or gritty, free-draining soils, manure is best left as a thick mulch between plants up to 4in (10cm) deep. Here it seals in moisture and nutrients.

GARDEN WORK IN DEEP WINTER

Make a New Year's Resolution

If you're looking for a really positive resolution this New Year why not take up something with lots of environmentally friendly brownie points like composting.

Instead of throwing away all those fruit and veg peelings from the kitchen you could be recycling them, turning them into compost and returning all those valuable trace elements and minerals to the soil. Keep a handy container with a sealable lid indoors and once a week empty it into your compost bin - you'll feel so virtuous! For handy tips on compost making go to www.recyclenow.com/compost.

Stoke and Staffordshire councils in partnership with WRAP (Waste Recycling Action Programme) are hoping to persuade every household to compost their green waste. They have special offers on a range of compost bins starting from as little as £8.00 including delivery. Ring 0845 0770757 quoting reference HCA1 or look out for the leaflet coming through your door later this month. 

Snowdrop Surprise

If you need a break from shopping for sale bargains in Hanley this month why not get some fresh country air and go snowdrop hunting in the parkland and woods of Attingham Park (NT) near Shrewsbury. The grounds are open virtually all year round and depending on the weather snowdrops usually start to appear by mid to late January reaching their peak in February.

It's easy to become hooked on snowdrops - there are so many different kinds - and enthusiasts are known as galanthophiles (the name is based on the plant's Latin name - Galanthus). The best way to introduce snowdrops to your garden is by planting 'in the green' i.e. when in leafy growth. Ask a friend or neighbour with well established snowdrop colonies to let you dig up a few small clumps immediately after flowering and transplant them in your garden choosing a cool, lightly shaded spot under deciduous trees and shrubs say.

Another alternative is to buy potted snowdrops from garden centres. Their protected outdoor areas are well stocked with scores of different types of bulbs now so you don't need to miss out on spring displays if you didn't get round to planting last autumn. Pots of dwarf daffodils, tulips and crocus are ideal for brightening up patio containers.

Potatoes in a Barrel

Look out for seed potatoes in your local garden centre this month. If you want to get a head start with delicious baby new potatoes think about planting a few 'first earlies' in a potato barrel. These cost about £30.00 and can be ordered off the internet if you can't find any locally.

Start your tubers into growth ( a process known as 'chitting') by placing them in an egg box or seed tray in a cool light position out of direct sunlight. Once the 'eyes' have started to produce several healthy looking shoots about 1in (2.5cm) long (keep three and rub off the weakest) you can plant around five at the base of the barrel on a layer of fresh compost. Put the barrel in a greenhouse or potting shed initially and gradually add more compost as the shoots grow. Move to a sheltered sunny position on the patio before the barrel gets too heavy to lift. Don't stint on feeding and watering once the plants are growing away actively as potato is a very 'hungry' crop. In frosty periods protect the leafy shoots with newspaper.

Once they start to produce flowers carefully lift the side panels to expose the new potatoes and harvest just enough for a meal. Meanwhile you can prepare the veg plot for early and maincrop varieties by covering with black polythene to warm and dry the soil ready for planting from early February.

Know Your Onions

There's not much sowing to be done at this time of year but if you like big onions and didn't get round to sowing seed in December, there's still time this month and next. Nature has a way of catching up! You'll find a good range of onion seed in most garden centres - no need to mail order. Last month's seedlings should be carefully separated out now and potted individually ready for planting out in March when the soil should be relatively warm and well-drained. Though planting onion sets is more convenient, seed grown plants have fewer disease problems.

Garlic is best planted in autumn and certainly by early December if the bulbs are to mature sufficiently for winter storage. But you can still plant individual cloves now and next month and use the bulbs fresh from the garden. Beat the cold weather by starting cloves off in pots in the greenhouse and plant out under cloches positioned over well drained soil. Special hardy varieties should be used in place of garlic bought from the supermarket which will be a frost sensitive Mediterranean type. Only plant large, firm cloves split off carefully from the bulb.

GARDEN WORK LATE IN THE YEAR

Christmas Trees

There's nothing like the aroma of a real live Christmas tree to get you in the festive mood. This year there is a shortage of Nordmann fir - noted for not dropping needles all over the carpet - but don't despair, garden centres have widened their selection and you should be able to find some beautifully scented alternatives that are just as well-behaved such as varieties of pine. Also look out for the Serbian spruce and the metallic coloured blue spruce.

Keep your tree fresh till the New Year by keeping it as cool as possible - certainly away from the radiator or fireplace. Re-cut the base if possible - especially if the tree has been cut for a while and fix into a special Christmas tree stand which holds a generous reservoir of water. You'll be surprised how much the tree will drink. If there's no risk of spoiling decorations, trees will also benefit from frequent misting to compensate for water lost from the needles. Christmas wreathes and garlands made from living material will also enjoy a daily misting. If fresh berries start to look dull, consider replacing them with sprigs of artificial fruits - these days they are incredibly realistic.

Festive Houseplants

Brighten up an unheated conservatory or sunroom with pots of bright red mini cyclamen. These will flower for weeks provided the frost doesn't get to them and they will also do well in an open porch or clustered around a sheltered doorway. Water sparingly from beneath the foliage and pick off the flowers as they fade. Plants last longer if being slightly under-watered.

Of course the classic Christmas houseplant is the poinsettia whose colourful leaf bracts (not petals) can now be found in shades of red as well as salmon pink, creamy white and new for this year, red-flecked-white. Poinsettias don't like the cold or big swings in temperature so never buy them from displays outside a shop and always ensure that the assistant wraps the plant up really snugly before you take it outside, even for a quick sprint to the car.

A position in good light but away from window ledges and drafty doorways is best and avoid sources of direct heat like radiators and air-conditioning outlets. If displayed in a very warm room, move it to a cooler location overnight. Water only when the compost surface had dried out a little and make sure the plant drains well after watering before returning to its pot cover. With care poinsettia displays can continue well into the New Year. Mist regularly with hand sprayer filled with water at room temperature.

The Solanum or Christmas cherry has orange-red berries on bushy plants covered in small, dark green leaves. When disturbed, the foliage has a slightly foetid smell but don't let that put you off! From autumn you can find these half-hardy shrublets sold for sheltered patio as well as conservatory or houseplant displays, showing that like the mini cyclamen it prefers cooler conditions when kept indoors. If possible buy plants with plenty of green or greeny-orange berries to prolong the display. Keep in a well-lit spot, take care not to over-water and mist plants frequently to keep the berries from dropping prematurely.