The winter backyard

When salvias, dianthus and ornamental grasses outgrow their pots, remove and divide them to make more plants. Cut off any dead or diseased growth and remove old flowering stems.

Use secateurs to divide the plant into smaller pieces with healthy root growth attached to each.

Place in a larger pot or separate into smaller ones, watering well and applying weak liquid fertiliser every two weeks.

 

Use a plastic ice scraper to clean off caked-on grass to protect from sap that can stain plastic and corrode metal. For hard-to-reach places blow grass out with a bicycle pump.

Tangy to eat and easy to harvest, French sorrel grows in thick clumps similar to spinach with broad, oval-shaped leaves. The mature plant reaches about 300mm tall.

From sowing seeds to picking takes about 100 days. Replace the plants every three to four years as they tend to become woody and tough.

Grow French sorrel by sowing seeds in rich, moist soil in a spot that gets full to part sun. When the seedlings are big enough to handle plant them out about 150mm apart.

Cut off flower stalks in summer to prevent the plant going to seed and add manure every six months. Keep the herb watered well in dry weather.

 

Pick the leaves all year round in mild climates, cooking and serving much the same as spinach.

Tip -  The acidity in the herb acts as a meat tenderiser.