Clearing debris From The Garden

DEAL WITH THE DEBRIS Waste material from the beds is gathered up and put on the compost heap rather than burned, as many of the stems are still home to insects that will crawl from the heap when they hatch. The beds are raked clean in readiness for spring mulching and to make way for the bulbs.

ROOT OUT THE WEEDS Weeds become visible with the clear-up, so take your time to winkle out buttercup, nettle and couch. Bindweed might be more of an issue, as it delves deep when established. Where it is getting a hold, dig out plants that might be affected, carefully fork out and burn the white roots, and replant anything displaced by the upheaval. There is plenty of time for plants to get their feet back in again before spring, but work in some goodness now to improve their opportunities for the year ahead.

GET MULCHING I like to leave mulching until the ground is a little warmer, but where bulbs are coming through it is timely to work in a 5cm layer of weed-free organic matter before they grow any more. Never mulch on weed-infested ground, as you will simply be creating a better environment for the weeds.

Dealing with weeds

Getting rid of weeds is simple to do if you know how. The trick is to use the right equipment and keep on top of it. There are simple ways to keep weeds from reappearing in your garden or patio.

• Mulch borders with an 8cm (3in) layer of bark mulch to prevent weeds from colonising.
• Cover large areas of bare soil with plastic, landscape fabric or an old roll of carpet to prevent weeds from germinating in spring.
• Removing annual weeds in the border by hand pulling or hoeing
• Lever up perennial weeds from the border with a hand fork or special weeding tool. Ensure every piece of root is removed.
• Scrape weeds or moss from between gaps in paving with an old knife.
• Use a daisy grubber to removing shallow rooted, rosette forming weeds from the lawn.
• Paint stubborn rosette forming lawn weeds with a herbicide gel.
• Tackle coarse grasses growing in the lawn by slashing through the crown with a knife before mowing.
• Before mowing lawns containing weeds with long runners, rake the stems to the surface. Regular mowing will eventually weaken and kill the weed.
• Lawns that are smothered with weeds and moss are best treated with a weed and feed product.
• Pull weeds from pots and fill gaps with new compost.