TOP 5 GARDENING JOBS

Take hardwood cuttings from currants, dogwood, and viburnum while plants are dormant. Select pencil-thick, one-year shoots about 20-30cm long. Make a clean cut above a bud at the top and below a bud at the base. Heel in two-thirds deep in a sheltered trench of sharp sand and soil, label, and keep weed-free.

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Plant tulip bulbs next month to help avoid tulip fire, a fungal disease, and achieve sturdy stems. Choose firm bulbs for sunny, free-draining spots or containers. Set them two to three times their depth, a bulb's width apart, with grit in heavy soil. Water once to settle, then keep cool. A light autumn potash feed supports spring bloom.