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Excitement mounts as your trees begin to stir. This is the beginning of the busiest season of the year, when you can do a certain amount of creative work as well as more down-to-earth tasks.

Any healthy deciduous trees you have not been able to repot yet should be attended to in the first part of this month.. If there is no sign of root or bud movement wait a little longer. Continue to keep newly repotted trees away from hard frosts and drying winds. You can keep deciduous trees in an outhouse if necessary at this time. Until the buds open they have no need of light. However, as soon as they begin to burst you must place the tree outside. Don’t wire newly repotted trees for three or four weeks, thus avoiding strain on the emerging new roots. Towards th.e end of the month you can. begin to repot jumpers and spruces.

Deciduous trees can be pruned once the buds begin to show signs of activity. This is so you can ensure that all the remaining branches are alive. Seal all wounds. This is a good time to thin out the fine twigs on deciduous trees so the coining season’s growth won’t outgrow the design. Remember to prune to a side shoot or to a bud which is pointing in the direction you want new growth.

Start wiring deciduous trees - fine twigs as well as thick branches - before the buds swell if possible. If the kids have already started to move take extra care as diet are easily dislodged as this crucial stir, in their development. Trees which have had their fine twigs wired should be kept away from frost and wind until the buds begin to open. Leave three weeks between wilting and repotting.

If you haven’t finished repotting deciduous trees it is best to leave them for next year unless they are really rootbound. Continue repotting junipers and spruce, and begin pines toward the end of the month. Aftercare is the same as early spring.

Now you can prune with a little more confidence, since the buds will he opening and you can spot any dead branches or twigs. Seal the wounds. Don’t prune spruce or pine now or they will bleed resin, which will disfigure the bark.

Wire spruce, juniper and pine but not deciduous trees. Don’t wire tightly because the brunches will thicken rapidly for the next month or so. Check small branches wired last month - they may already set in position!

Now your watering routine will get under way. During rainy spells shelter newly repotted trees, but you may need to water daily in dry weather.

Don’t fertilize newly repotted trees. Those repotted last month can be given their first spring feed if growth has started. A high phosphorus feed is most suitable for these. Use a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content for trees which have not been repotted.

Aphids are a particular nuisance c host plant, making them difficult to spot. Clean algae from the trunks and branches. Trees which have not yet shown signs of growth should be placed in a shaded polythene tent. Keep the soil just moist and give a weak phosphorus- based fertilizer.