Those of you that grow dogwoods (Cornus) and shrubby willows for their ornamental coloured stems, now is the time to prune them all back. The best colours are produced on one year old stems. Prune the stems low allowing one or two buds on last year’s growth, thereby creating a stubby framework.

Cut down all those old herbaceous seed heads and stems that have survived the winter, by doing so this will create space for the new growth.

Herb gardens are great for their scents and the insects they attract. They also save you a few pounds at the supermarket. Plants are easily sourced from most garden centres. Hardy herbs including chervil, chives, dill, marjoram, parsley and coriander can be sown from seed. However rosemary, mint and thyme are better off bought as young plants. Beware of mints invasive nature, plant this in a container! A few herbs planted in a large terracotta container will make all the difference.