This month's hints and tips

In January not much is happening in the garden, but there are a few precautions to take.
If you are using salt to melt ice or snow on paths and driveways, be careful it doesn’t come into contact with any plants; it could damage some.

Heavy snow on delicate branches can also damage them, so brush off the snow carefully.

This is an excellent time of the year to check fences and boundaries. If they are not holding up well to strong winds, it could be time to replace them.

Also good for this time of the year is to plan what you are going to do in the garden. If that involves planting trees or hedges, now is the time to do it. Trees can be bought with bare roots at this time of year so larger ones can be bought quite cheaply. During the rest of the year only pots grown trees can be planted which limits their size.