Today

Another year, another chance to get in the garden. Gardening website Shoot offers a list of helpful gardening tips for January.

Prune bourbon, china and portland roses lightly while dormant
Examples include: Rosa 'Buff Beauty', Rosa glauca, Rosa 'Morning Mist', Rosa canina, Rosa 'Cornelia', Rosa 'Geranium'

This group of roses are repeat flowering throughout the summer and autumn, so it is best to prune them in winter.

In late winter or early spring (while the rose is dormant) prune 1/3 of all but the most vigorous young growth, and shorten the longest growth (and side shoots) by one third.

When pruning, make sure to prune to just above a healthy outward pointing bud.

Whenever you are pruning roses it is a good idea to wear protective gloves as the thorns can cut and scrape you easily.

Plant snowdrops 'in the green'
Snowdrops do not establish successfully when planted as dry bulbs, so specialist nurseries tend to supply them with the plants still in full leaf (this is called 'in the green') and with the bulb wrapped to preserve moisture.

Set the young plants in moist free-draining soil with loads of rich organic matter. They will self propagate over the years into large, pretty clumps, that should be divided every couple.

Cultivate soil in winter to destroy onion fly
Cultivate soil thoroughly in winter to disturb over-wintering pupae.

Look for early signs of bark canker
Cankers are not easy to treat at best, but early detection may help. Contact a tree surgeon if you are concerned about a possible infection.