Words and photos by Olivia Thomas

Right now, my garden is muddy, ravaged by storms, devoid of greenery and generally pretty uninspiring. But there are garden jobs and ideas that can lift our spirits at this time of year, and here are just a few of them.

Start sowing

When you can start sowing seed depends largely on when the plants you’re growing will be able to be planted out in the garden. If what you’re growing is susceptible to frost (probably labelled as tender or half-hardy), there’s no point in starting too early as the plants will outgrow life in pots before all frost risk has passed. So find out the expected frost date for where you live before getting carried away with sowing (here in Scotland, it’s as late as mid-May!).

Having said that, the days are getting lighter and there are plants we can all get on with sowing, hurray! IMHO, everyone with outdoor space should grow sweet peas (they do fine in big pots as long as they’ve got something to grow up) and now is the time to sow them. They don’t like having their roots disturbed, so try sowing them in toilet rolls for pots that can just be planted straight into the ground with them eventually, or as I do, pots made of newspaper (Google it!). It’s also time to start snapdragons (antirrhinums) and cobaea, also called the cup-and-saucer vine, as they’ll take a while to achieve full size.

Plant bare root plants

Some plants, particularly rose bushes and trees, can be supplied as bare root plants rather than potted in earth. They tend to be cheaper that way, with potentially a wider variety available. Now is the time to plant them, so they can get established as spring gets going. Try David Austin for rose bushes, and Pomona for fruit trees and bushes - both include patio-size varieties for pots.

Make the most of the light

It might not quite be evening gardening time yet, but it’s certainly light enough for a wander outside in the morning, and at this time of year we need it more than ever. Try to get out into your garden space whenever you can, wrapped up as warm and dry as you need to be!

Keep feeding birds

Before food supplies get going in nature, keep feeding your feathered visitors, and don’t forget water! (A note to anyone who keeps poultry or other birds in your garden - at the time of writing, DEFRA still has limitations in place around bird flu, and you shouldn’t be encouraging wild birds into your garden right now. Sorry.)

Clear up and clear out

A great way to feel like you’re getting ready for spring even when you can’t garden - clear out your shed or greenhouse, wash pots, clear up paths, get in compost, generally be raring to go in March. Give your tools a clean and sharpen blades; I put all my tool maintenance kit in one place this year (tool file, wire wool, WD40, rags for oiling) and it’s made this job super-easy.

Say it with daffodils!

Roses don’t grow in the UK for Valentine’s Day, it’s as simple as that. Any roses you buy at this time of year will have been imported from somewhere sunny, likely via the Netherlands, and will probably have been treated chemically to last so they can withstand the travel. Buy seasonal, buy British when you can, and buy as local as possible. Flowers from the Farm is a great place to look for your local grower. Ask your florist where their flowers come from!

Check out narcissi

While we’re talking about daffodils, there are a huge variety beyond the standard yellow trumpets. As they start to come into season, keep an eye out for any you like, ask what variety they are, and make a note for when it comes to bulb ordering time.

Mostly, hang on in there. Spring is right around the corner!