With warmer weather hopefully around the corner be on the lookout for an increase in insect pests, particularly infestations. You can either rub them out or prune out badly infested shoots. Perhaps this is where we get the saying ‘nip it in the bud’ from!

If you have pruned back the old flowered stems on heathers now is a good time to feed them with a high nitrogen feed, for example dried blood and fishmeal.

As mentioned in previous editions, don’t forget to deadhead daffodils. This will enable the plant to use its energy in forming a good flowering bud for the next spring as opposed to trying to produce seeds. Don’t forget to leave the foliage on for at least a further six weeks to allow the daffodil to continue to photosynthesise.