What better place is there to start the New Year than in your garden. It's the perfect time to start planning, pruning, planting and enjoying. Keep an eye out for the first snowdrops arriving.

Here is our simple January to-do list to get the ball rolling in your garden this year.

Did you know you can compost your own tree by cutting into small pieces, this makes great compost for acidic loving plants like Rhododendrons.

Pruning apple and pear trees while they are still lying dormant will ensure a healthy re-growth. Start with pruning dead, diseased and crowded branches. Then cut back last years growth by about a third. You can leave side shoots this time and they will develop fruit buds for next year.

Prune back your roses while they lay dormant. Cut back dead, diseased and crossing stems first and then cut back the strongest remaining shoots between 6&10 inches from the ground, depending on the variety.

Make sure your feathered friends have plenty of food and a water source. If it's frosty, break the ice on the water source each morning so the birds still have access.

Clear out your potting shed/ greenhouse and clean all your pots and seed trays in readiness for Spring. You will thank yourself for the organisation when planting time arrives!

Ensure those plants that need frost protection are covered with horticulture fleece/mulch to ensure they are well looked after in very cold weather. Clear any fresh snowfall off your greenhouse and evergreen trees and bushes. Be sure you don't walk on the grass when it is blanketed with snow as this can damage the grass!

Are you having a vegetable plot or a cut flower garden? Now is the time to order seeds and any propagation tools you may need. Weather depending, you can dig over your soil in preparation for transferring seedlings in Spring!

You can sow your first vegetables, aubergines, tomatoes & chilli peppers now in a heated greenhouse or warm windowsill. Choose things you love to eat, it makes it all the more rewarding and gets the kids involved!