If you’ re itching to get outside, wait for a sunny dry day( if the ground is wet you can cause a lot of compaction and damage). Have a wander around your space and take stock of how things are- is there an area that needs filling? Or something that didn’ t quite work this year? Really try to see the promise of the year ahead, and where best you can bring things to life.

The first month of the year is a good time to clean your tools, mend any that were thrown in the corner with good intentions a while back, and ensure that you have the full kit for the coming year.

If it’ s icy, make sure there’ s still water available for the birds, and top up the bird feeders- it can be a harsh time for our feathered friends.

If you haven’ t mulched you can do it now, as long as it’ s not frosty!

NEIL’ S JANUARY FLOWER

Bare root roses- From November, and throughout the winter, you can buy bare root roses and plant them, as long as it’ s not too frosty. Pick a cool damp day, allow them to soak in water for an hour before planting, dig a nice hole, wide enough to accommodate the roots. We always allow the grafts to be at soil level because of the tendency for rot and decay. This winter we have planted 1,000 new bare root roses across the estate. We have sourced our roses locally from Giles at Rumwood Nursery in Langley, Maidstone.

It’ s not just bare root roses that you can plant at this time of the year, in addition you can plant anything that’ s gone to sleep such as perennials( grasses) and bare root trees- the bonus is they’ re a lot cheaper in the winter.

While it’ s traditionally thought of as a dormant time, there’ s still a lot of colour to enjoy outdoors in January- The Winter Garden at Hever Castle & Gardens looks wonderful with the cornus, the daphnes in bloom, the witch hazel and the Early Sensation daffodils.