Spring is one of the busiest times in the garden, so pop on your apron and get to work. Use our handy Winter Leftovers and Spring is Here lists to help you.

It's easy to ignore the garden tasks in January and February since it never really feels like the right day to be working outside, but there are a few things that need doing now if you've missed them.

The Winter Leftovers List

• Tidy winter storm debris from the lawn and beds. Hopefully the early storms left your garden relatively unscathed!
• Lightly prune any winter flowering shrubs which have finished. Don't forget that the Willows and Dogwoods (that give colour on their first year wood for winter display) should be prunned now too.
• Dig over vegetable beds that got missed, ready for planting.
• Tidy and cut down the ornamental grasses except the evergreen ones which just need the scruffy dead bits removing.

Today though, when the sun is out and Spring really feels like its kissing the garden, garden jobs cannot be ignored. Here are your March/early April duties ... 

The Spring is Here List

• As perennials start to show through, divide any that look overcrowded.
• If its been fairly dry (and you've done the stick/debris clear up!) give the lawn a mow. Use a high setting and if the mower starts to leave sunken tracks, STOP!
• If you've been mooching around garden centres and have bought some lovely summer flowering bulbs... now is the time to get them in.
• Put onion sets, garlic and early seeds of carrots, parsnips and broad beans in the vegetable garden. Also if you haven't 'chitted' some potatoes (let the little green shoots develop in a cool bright room...egg boxes are good to hold them), get some going now. You might have missed the 'earlies' but you will still get a good crop. I like pink fir apples... wonderful roasted, skins on in olive oil and salt.
• With the lovely warm days we have been having in the last week or so, weeds will be starting to get going so have a hoe around the beds to keep on top of the game.
• Give the roses a last light prune now getting rid of any winter damage and to give them a feed. Climbing roses will need a tie in and tidy after the winter weather.
• If you are putting in new dahlias (or ones that have been lifted and stored over winter) now is the time to pot them up and put them against a warm wall to get going. I find they do better than going straight into the ground and they can be better protected from the hungry slugs!

Happy gardening!