What to do in the garden, month by month

A month-by-month guide to the British gardening year: what to sow, what to plant, what to harvest and the key jobs for each month.

January: January is the quiet month in the UK garden — a time for planning, structural pruning and forcing rhubarb. Frosts still bite, but light is returning, and the first early seeds can be started under glass.

February: February is the threshold of the growing year. Snowdrops bloom, days lengthen, and serious sowing begins under cover. Get beds prepared and start chitting potatoes.

March: March is when the UK garden truly wakes up. Soil warms, bulbs flower, and a flood of seeds can go in — outdoors under cloches and indoors on every windowsill.

April: April brings the biggest sowing window of the year. Soil is workable, frosts are fading (but not gone), and the greenhouse fills with seedlings ready to harden off.

May: May is the lushest month — but late frosts can still strike in northern and inland gardens. Plant out tender crops only after your local last-frost date.

June: June: the garden hits full stride. Roses peak, the longest day arrives, and watering becomes the daily routine. Sow biennials now for flowers next spring.

July: July is harvest season. The veg plot peaks, watering is constant, and you can still sow plenty for autumn and winter cropping.

August: August is abundance and holidays — set up automatic watering, keep picking, and start thinking about overwintering crops.

September: September: harvest peaks and planting season for next year begins. Sow green manures, plant spring bulbs, and divide herbaceous perennials.

October: October is for planting. Soil is warm, rain is reliable, and roots establish before winter — the best month for bulbs, bare-root roses and hedging.

November: November: tidy, mulch and protect. The bare-root planting season is in full swing, and there's still time for tulips and overwintering crops.

December: December is for reflection, structural pruning and feeding the birds. Bare-root planting continues whenever the ground isn't frozen.