INDOORS : The ascending node passes today — a quieter moment in the lunar rhythm, well suited to tidying the workspace rather than rushing into the soil. Rinse terracotta pots with a stiff brush and lukewarm water, then set them upside-down to dry fully before stacking; frost will crack any damp clay left outside overnight. Check your lemon tree and olive tree overwintering under cover: water sparingly, just enough to keep the root ball from drying out completely, and ensure ventilation to prevent grey mould building up in still air.
LANDSCAPING : Before the evening sign change, a root day runs through most of the afternoon — good timing to mulch the base of your rose bushes, hellebores, and camellia with a 5–8 cm layer of well-rotted bark. This insulates shallow roots and suppresses winter weeds in one pass. Check and loosen any ties on young cherry trees, plum trees, and hazel where the bark has thickened since autumn; a tight wire can girdle a stem without you noticing until spring. Rhododendron and hydrangea planted this season benefit from a light topdressing of ericaceous compost around the crown — no digging, just spread and leave it.
ORCHARD : Walk the rows of your apple trees and pear trees and inspect stored fruit one more time; a single soft pear can spread rot to its neighbours within days in a cool shed. Quince tree and walnut tree branches are worth a visual check too — remove any crossing or rubbing wood with clean, sharp secateurs, making smooth cuts that will callus neatly over winter.