ORCHARD : A fruit day with a waxing moon approaching full — conditions favour harvesting and planting fruiting trees. Check stored apples and pears: remove any showing soft spots before they spoil the batch. Bare-root raspberry canes go in well now, spaced 50 cm apart in a weed-free row; firm the soil around each crown without burying it. Currant bushes and blackcurrants can be planted too, 1.2 m apart, in a hole enriched with a generous handful of well-rotted compost at the base. On heavier soils, raise the planting hole slightly to avoid waterlogging around the collar.
LANDSCAPING : Think of the grapevine as a long-term investment — plant a bare-root specimen now while the soil stays workable, in a sunny, well-drained spot. Tulip bulbs can still go in at 15 cm deep, 10 cm apart, before the ground hardens; daffodil bulbs at 15 cm deep round out a cheerful spring display. Hellebores appreciate a spot in light shade with moist, humus-rich soil — plant now and leave them undisturbed to settle in over winter.