Annuals such as clary sage, briza, nigella and atriplex are perfect plants for beginners and can be sown direct into the soil from March. It’s best to buy these seeds early before they sell out: cast your eye over the Chiltern Seeds website for lots of blooms that will give colour for months (chilternseeds.co.uk; search for “flowers for drying”).

Rotate your vegetable crop

It is very disheartening when precious vegetables are ravaged by pests or fail to thrive after all your hard work nurturing them. Crop rotation is the traditional method of preventing a build-up of crop-specific pests and diseases from year to year, so if you follow this method it should help to reduce problems. It also organises crops according to their cultivation needs. For details, visit rhs.org.uk and search “vegetable crop rotation”. Take time to plan where you grow different veg, making sure to avoid putting carrots where they grew last year, for example.

Two garden projects to plan

Protect your topsoil

Winter rain and wind can erode topsoil. To protect that very important surface layer, mulch bare soil with 5-10cm of well-rotted compost or manure when the ground isn’t frozen. Mulching will prevent erosion and increase the biological activity and fertility of your garden, resulting in much stronger and healthier plants this spring and summer. If you have soil that sits wet over winter, be careful not to create excessive compaction, which is detrimental to soil health, preventing gas exchange. When working on bare soil, I use scaffolding planks as a bridge across the plot to distribute my weight and minimise the impact.

The drain game

On a similar theme, take a look at your lawn. Turf is in a state of suspended animation in January with little growth above the ground or in the roots. If persistent puddles form on your lawn after heavy rain, you need to address the drainage. This does not have to be a labour-intensive project: once the area has dried out a little, use a garden fork to spike and lift the area of turf, making a number of holes in the ground with the fork prongs. Take some sharp sand and brush it into the holes and around the area, enough to come into contact with the soil but without burying the grass. Repeat this every year: it’ll take a while before you see any dramatic change, but it’s worth the investment.

Tom Brown is head gardener at West Dean Gardens, West Sussex. 

This article is kept updated with the latest advice.