Wisteria is magnificant, beautiful blue or white scented flowers, one of the best climbers, but, and you can hear the but, it should have a health warning. I agree few climbers can beat the site of a Wisteria in full flower but Wisteria is hard work. Wisteria is high maintenance as it is vigorous, needs pruning twice a year, and it can be tricky to get it to flower. I grow it and love it but I don't love climbing up a ladder in February. Unforunately, pruning is not an option. If Wisteria is not prunned it will be very large and stop flowering so with Wisteria it is essential.

The best tip if you want it to flower, is to start with a Wisteria which is in flower, so buy in April/May and pick a plant with lots of buds or flowers and at least you are setting off on the right foot to begin with. For more tips on growing Wisteria and how to make it flower,. This year the Wisteria is looking great the spurs are covering in buds so I am hoping for a good show to make up for the time spent up the ladder.

Wisteria is vigorous and so pruning means ladders, and pruning it back to keep it out of gutters, windows etc twice a year.  There are other less difficult climbing plants and for ideas on easier climbings plants.

By late Feb /early March I have itchy gardening feet and want to get started. I cannot resist the lure of the seed packet. Most years I start with sweet peas as they are relatively hardy and when short on space later in the Spring, they will withstand the outside weather, next will be Broad beans also fairly hardy. I sow the hardiest first and then as spring goes on, I sow the more tender veg and annuals such as courgettes, and Ipomoea (Morning Glory)

Early in the year, such as now, even in a conservatory or green house, germination may need some extra heat so here illustrated in the image (left) I am using a propagator mat (silver mat between the trays) which I find very useful at this time of year. It plugs in and the propagators sit on top; the gentle heat helps to germinate the seeds.  You will need a lid on the propagator, or the seed trays in a poly bag,  to reduce moisture loss which is important for germination. You can also buy a complete unit as a heated propagator but I like the matt. I can mix and match what I put on it, sometimes just a few plants, or a whole tray.  Gardening magazines are full of gadgets and if the average gardener purchased only a small perecentage of what is on offer, a  warehouse would be needed in storage. I am not against gadgets, just not convinced as the the value of many. If you have a good gadget which you think really works would love to hear from you.

Once germinated it is important not to leave them on the warm mat for very long, just a matter of days  to establish the seedlings. Too long and the seedlings will become weedy. Move into a cooler but frost free spot. Gradually remove the propagator lid to get the seedlings accustomed to growing indoors without protection. The same process will happen later in the year when hardening off the seedlings to get them accustomed to growing outside. To do this, place seed trays in a sheltered spot on mild days bringing in overnight when the temperature dips, gradually leaving out for long periods until permanently outside.  

By  April the conservatory will be full of seed trays of vegetables and bedding, as will the greenhouse, and it will be time to start planting out the hardiest to make space for the greenhouse crops usually tomatoes and cucumbers. Sowing early in the year used to be about trying to get an early crop, now it seems with the very poor summers its about getting a crop worth harvesting at all.

February’s Gallery shows Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) a rather magical looking shrub. Witch Hazel is deciduous and produces spider like, scented flowers during late autumn through the winter. The flowers are produced on bare branches, making the stems very attractive and the flowers dramatic. Hamamelis are fully hardy and generally grow to around 4m, and are tolerant of most conditions. A later flowering shrub which also flowers on bare stems is Forsythia, which bears (usually) yellow flowers in early to mid spring and is a very easy to grow, reliable garden shrub.

Hellebores are a late winter and early spring flowering perennial and for advice on growing Hellebores 

Polyanthus are part of the massive Primula family, which has great variety, over 400 species in the genus. Primrose-Polyanthus primulas are winter to spring flowering and bring welcome early colour to the garden. Easy to grow, generally Polyanthus are yellow, red, blue orange, white or pink flowering and those sold in garden centres and on line are the more common varieties suited to sun, or partial shade and happy on neutral to acid soil. Primulas come in all shapes and sizes and are easy to grow for more about growing Primulas

This is the time of year I get seduced by seed packets and have to stop myself buying seeds, which are no longer cheap. Most are around £1.99 and a few packets can quickly add up £10.00 which is fine, in many ways good value for money, but I always end up with way too many seeds and seedlings.   This year I am being more mean;  try germinating old seed first. Seed packets have a "best before " date but much depends on the type and quality of the seed, and how it's been stored. Some seed just last better than others, and whilst web sites give guidance as to the life span of various seeds, who knows until you try them.  If you are sowing early, try germinating a few  from an old packet and if nothing happens maybe  the seed is passed it's best, but many seeds, if stored somewhere cool, will be viable for several years.

If you do fancy making a start on growing from seed, try first with the large seeds as they are easier to handle and to prick out once germinated. With vegetables, the those most easy to germinate and grow are peas, beans , courgettes, cucumbers, all the large seeds. I do grow flowers from seeds, but really it's only worth  from your own seed, so it's free plants, or it's something which you cannot get at the garden centre and is going to add lots of colour and style. Such as Ipomoea (Morning Glory) or Cobaea (cup and saucer) plant images left below. These are fantastic summer annuals (one season only) and both distinct climbers, Cobaea is easier than Ipomoea which is very tender and shrivels, literally, if it gets a chill breeze. There is also the spectacular Amaranthus illustrated is  caudatus (love-lies-bleeding) which looks particularly impressive in a hanging basket with all the tassells flowing down. It is easy to germinate and grow and if you are thinking of trying these annuals and want some further advice e mail The Sunday Gardener

If you want to try your hand at sweet peas these are easy to grow from seed, and you can buy on-line distinct colours and also some  highly scented varieties. For Advice on how to grow sweet peas from seed.

It is too cold to sow seed now with any confidence as yet, except under glass with additional heat. In previous years I have had enquiries about spindly, not very robust looking seedlings when growing from seed. The main problem, especially if you seed early, is low light levels. Seedlings need light, and pull toward the light. If you are growing on a windowsill it is hard to get good seedlings because the light is only from one direction and even turning the plant regularly doesn't ameliorate the problem. The best seeds, those perfect plants on sale in the garden centres, have been grown in light which is 360 ° so the plant grows evenly. The best place is a greenhouse, or  a conservatory can be  good, essentially with as much all round light as you can get and that will get the seedlings off to a good start. Early in the year I also use a heated propagator mat to generate additional warmth if seeding into an unheated conservatory or greenhouse. Once germinated and established do not leave too long on the warm mat as again it will not produce study seedlings. Unless you are growing in warm conditions avoid anything which is very tender or cold sensitive, which includes these annual especially the Ipomoea which I would not recommend to seed until at least late April.