Repot this
Mint runs amok if left to its own devices in borders, but it’s an indispensable container plant, for use in salads, teas, baths, as a rat and ant deterrent, and for freshening breath. It should be sprouting by now, so it’s time to repot. Knock the plant out of its container, tease out the healthiest roots and repot with fresh compost. Give excess roots to friends or the compost heap (soak in water for a few weeks, to make sure it’s dead). And branch out: mint comes in many incarnations, my favourites being lavender mint and Moroccan mint.
Try this
If you’re languishing on the allotment waiting list or bemoaning your tiny balcony garden, join the Conservation Volunteers’ green gym programme. Keep fit and hone your horticultural skills while sprucing up local open spaces. Sign up at tcv.org.uk/greengym.
Plant this
Hellebore ‘Washfield Doubles’ comes in an array of colours – some plain, some speckled and others veined – above attractive evergreen foliage. It flowers from February to April; height and spread 45cm. Buy three plug plants for £8.99 or six for £12.98 (including free UK mainland p&p). To order, call 0330 333 6856, quoting ref GU304, or go to our Readers’ Offers page. Dispatch in two to four weeks.
