Remove any dead or older wood by cutting it off at the base of the plant. Newer, green stems should be shortened by about half their length to just above a leaf junction. Pieces cut from the plant make ideal material to use as cuttings if extra plants are desired. Shorten the plant piece, allow the base to dry out for several days and then place it into a pot containing a mixture of soil and sharp sand.

The plant will benefit from a feed of fertiliser suitable for pot and tub plants.

Geranium leaves need watching for the possible development of rust, which shows as yellow spots on the upper surface of the leaf. These spots then turn black, with a brown appearance on the underside of the leaf. Diseased leaves should be removed. The plant can then be sprayed with a fungicide spray.

During the winter months it is still possible to have salad vegetables by planting out fast-growing cress. If planted from seed, some varieties of cress can be ready for harvest in four or five weeks from seed planting time. Children enjoy growing cress on cotton wool, or as the “hair” on creatures made by placing sphagnum moss or soil into a stocking.

In order to have cress available for kitchen use, seeds can be sown into pots that have been filled with a pre- moistened seed raising mixture. Following sowing, the pot should be watered gently and then drained.

Placing the pot on a sunny window ledge will ensure a good light source. As the plants emerge from the soil, the pot should be turned regularly to ensure straight-growing plants. Harvest the plants when they are less than 5cm in height by cutting the stems at their base, using a pair of scissors.

Cress contains minerals such as iron and potassium, as well as Vitamins A, B and C. Plants that have been grown in a good light source will be a healthy green colour and have a higher nutritional value.

The harvested cress can be used in salads, sandwiches, and as a garnish, as well as egg dishes.

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Many magnolias are in full bloom during this month. They are often connected to windier weather, as they seem to flower when we experience stronger winds.

It has been suggested that magnolias that flower now actually require the winds to dry out the external calyx on the bloom, allowing it to split and the bud to open.

Magnolia grandiflora grows into a large tree at maturity, so it is generally unsuitable for the average garden. It produces large, scented white flowers in summer.

Magnolia soulangeana with its purplish-pink and white flowers is the more commonly grown variety, flowering in late winter and early spring. However, newer and more varied varieties are now also available.

A visit to a nursery or garden centre at this time will enable the gardener to compare the different types of flowers and their colours before making a selection.

Jonquil and daffodil bulbs are displaying their beautiful flowers, filling the surrounding air with their particular fragrances, as well as heralding the approaching spring.

However, once the flowers from daffodil and jonquil bulbs have died down, it is very tempting to cut back the straggly and untidy leaves that remain. This action should be avoided as this is the time in which the bulb stores energy in order to enable it to produce flowers in the following year.

An application of a foliar fertiliser will supply a source of food for the bulbs. In order to keep the plants looking tidy, the leaves can be twisted around each other, or they can be tied up together.

Once the leaves have become yellow or brown they can be cut off at ground level.

Bulbs that are still in flower, or have yet to flower, such as tulips and hyacinths, will respond to light applications of an all-purpose fertiliser.

An application of fertiliser, as soon as the foliage emerges from the soil, and then as soon as flowering has ceased, will aid in the development of the size of the bulbs. This will result in better and stronger flowers in the following season. This also applies to bulbs that are growing in pots as well as those growing under trees and shrubs.

Although daffodil bulbs prefer cooler growing conditions in order to flower again the following year, under ideal conditions they can be left in the same position for 3 – 5 years. They only require replanting when the clumps of bulbs have become overcrowded.

Lifting of the bulbs should be undertaken in December, while the dying foliage is still attached to the bulb. The bulbs can then be placed into mesh bags and stored in a cool, dry, airy place.

Gardeners who wish to see extensive displays of daffodils might consider visiting towns in the highlands, where Large areas of bulbs have been planted in public parks. Because of their colder climates, daffodils will not flower there until later in the season.

A Daffodil Festival is being held this week in the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens, Mt Tomah.

Maitland and District Garden Club will meet in the Masonic Hall, Grant Street, Maitland, on Saturday, 27 August, commencing at 2pm. Visitors are welcome.