LANDSCAPING : A brief root window closes early in the morning as the moon shifts into a flower day — spend the first part of the day checking ties on your clematis and wisteria before the energy shifts. Once you are into the flower period, this is a fine moment to sow sweet pea seeds 2 cm deep, spacing them 5 cm apart, in a sheltered spot or under cover; they thrive with something to climb and reward you with weeks of cutting. Sow zinnia seeds 0.5 cm deep, 3 cm apart in trays, ready to thin or plant out to 25 cm once frosts are behind you. / Cosmos can go in the same way: 0.5 cm deep, seeds 3 cm apart, rows 40 cm when planted out — their feathery foliage is already a pleasure before the first bloom appears.
VEGETABLE PATCH : A flower day naturally calls for the brassica family: sow cauliflower and broccoli under cover in modules, 1 cm deep with seeds 3 cm apart. Both benefit from the ascending waning crescent at this stage — germination tends to be even and vigorous. Keep modules in a bright, frost-free spot and water sparingly from below to avoid damping off. In milder gardens, nasturtium seeds can go directly into a prepared bed, 2 cm deep, 10 cm apart; they deter aphids near brassicas and the flowers are edible too.
ORCHARD : Walk among your cherry tree and plum tree today and look for any crossing branches that escaped the winter tidy — mark them rather than cut, since pruning is best saved for after harvest. Check the base of your fig tree for any frost-damaged shoots; snap them off cleanly and mulch the root zone with 5 cm of well-rotted compost to hold warmth in the soil as spring temperatures climb.