Jobs for the garden

What to do in your garden this week

Fuchsias

:: Mulch asparagus beds and clumps of rhubarb with manure or compost.

:: Place cloches over ground where early sowings are to be made.

:: Continue to cut back faded foliage on herbaceous perennials.

:: Take root cuttings of Oriental poppies, verbascum and phlox.

:: Sow under glass quick growing perennials to flower this year.

:: Begin to feed plants in established borders using a controlled-release slow-acting fertiliser and try not to get fertiliser on the new foliage.

:: Water indoor strawberries sparingly, removing any dead leaves.

:: Don't let your pond freeze over completely. Stick a floating ball in it before it's too late.

:: Top-dress year-round tubs and don't let sheltered containers dry out.

:: Continue to plant soft fruit bushes and bare-rooted fruit trees if weather permits.

:: Prune half-hardy fuchsias being kept under cover when the pink 'eyes' appear.

:: Plant out ranunculus and anemones if the ground is not too wet.

:: Protect the blossom of early-flowering apricots, peaches and nectarines from frost damage by covering plants with fleece.

:: Prune out the old flowering heads from hydrangeas.