Just another week to go and the clocks will be changing and that’s when it feels as though spring has officially arrived! I always love the clocks changing as it gives me time to get into the garden after work!

Some jobs to be getting on with this week;

• With such a mild winter the grass seems to have been growing for weeks now! Choose a nice dry day and give your lawn the first cut of the season. By getting the cutting height and mowing frequency correct, you can make a huge difference to the ongoing health of your lawn. For the first cut of the season set the cutting height to the highest setting. On the following three cuts, reduce the height of your cutting deck until the desired height is reached.

• Begin to feed your trees, shrubs and hedges with a balanced fertiliser such as Growmore or Bone Meal. Sprinkle the plant food along the root area of the plant and then gently hoe it into the soil surface – by feeding now you will see the benefits later in the season!

PLANT OF THE WEEK: WINTER HEATHERS

I always think that in Scotland winter heathers look at their best as the first days of Spring are arriving – and this year seems no different!

Winter heathers such as Erica carnea ‘Myretoun Ruby’ and Erica X darleyensis ‘Kramers red’ are really looking great in gardens at the moment.

These plants look great in a mixed border and provide great ground cover – I have a difficult banking in my garden and have mass planted it with these varieties which makes it very low maintenance and gives great colour in early springtime. They are also great plants for using in pots or containers to give a bold show of colour early in the season!