Any sunshine this month will be weak, but if you feel like venturing into the garden, wrap up well and there are always jobs to be getting on with! Now’s your chance to catch up with any repairs or maintenance jobs that have been piling up over the year and you can make the most of any good weather by pruning and protecting plants for the winter.

Gardening in the winter can be more relaxed, having none of the urgency of the spring and summer months. You can take it at an easier pace and, whenever conditions allow, dig over a border in preparation for the spring. It’s unlikely you will be alone in the garden. You’ll probably have your local robin alongside, sitting on your spade while eagerly waiting for you to uncover a worm, giving a festive air to the garden. It’s a timely reminder to feed garden birds now as the weather gets colder and food becomes more scare.

Prune woody ornamental plants, fruit trees and bushes, shredding the prunings and putting them on your compost heap if you have one. Have a look at the shape of your deciduous trees and shrubs to see if they need any attention to improve their health or shape. With no leaves on it’s easier to see what you are doing now. You will need a good pair of secateurs, a pair of loppers and a pruning saw for cutting off larger branches. Cut out any dead wood. In a smaller garden, if the plant is taking up too much space it can be trimmed. The main point to remember is that the harder you prune, the stronger will be the resulting growth, so when restricting growth, light pruning will have a much more satisfactory effect than hacking back hard.