Have a good clear out. Clean up your display and storage areas. Debris left lying about will harbour eggs and larvae of a multitude of unwanted pests. Leave any spiders that you might find. They are very useful at controlling bugs later in the year especially if growing in a protected environment. Make sure that indoor trees get a rest in cooler temperatures than normal but avoid cold draughts that will damage tender species.Make sure that any heaters being used are working - before the coldest day of the year. Think about re-potting. Prepare the ingredients for your mixture, work out how much you'll need. If collecting it is advisable to have soil mixture ready and waiting to receive your new trees. This is a good time to think about what pots you need.

Routine re-potting can start at this time of year providing the trees can be kept frost-free until new growth begins later in the spring. If making major adjustments to roots it may be better to wait until March/April so that new growth and the recovery that it brings is not as far away.Any deciduous trees that still need wiring should be done now whilst the structure of the branches can be clearly seen.

MARCH

Begin feeding evergreen species around the middle of the month. Feed with a balanced fertilizer weekly at ¼ strength. Resist the temptation to feed deciduous species and do not feed spring flowering-species until after they have finished flowering. Now is the ideal time to collect trees from the wild. Digging up plants from the wild without permission is illegal. Always get permission from the land-owners. Re-potting should continue. Buds should start swelling about now. This is a good time to redirect the energy of trees such as Beech, Alder , Birch, Oak and Horse Chestnut that tend to favour the large buds at the extremities of the branches. Removing these buds now will encourage more even swelling of the buds lower down the branch and also induce back-budding. Events:- Look out for the Bonsai car boot sale, held annually at Edgbaston Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. This is a fund-raiser for the National Bonsai Collection that is housed there and is a popular event where many bargains can be found.(See events guide)

Increase feed to ½ strength on a weekly basis for evergreen trees.When deciduous leaves start opening out, wait until the first set have hardened off before feeding. Again, start gently with ¼ strength, balanced fertilizer for the first month before increasing to half-strength as for the evergreens.Re-potting should be all but complete by now. Protect from late frosts that may damage the cut ends of roots. Watch out for wire digging in during the first spurts of growth. Tissues will swell rapidly at this time of year and damage can occur literally overnight. Remove wire that shows any signs of digging in. Leave a few days to recover before re-wiring if necessary..Events:- Bonsai expo , coventry

Pinching of most evergreens is needed about now to keep the pads nice and compact and Pines will require attention depending on what kind of growth you want. Deciduous species will need to be kept in check and some may need defoliating towards the end of the month. Be on the guard for rapid growth on species such as Beech where lengthening of new growth to the point where leaf nodes are too far apart can occur literally overnight. See species guide for more information.

Keep an eye on the watering as the weather warms up. At this time of year hot weather can sometimes appear from a gloomy start to the day. Don't be caught unawares. Give too much water rather than not enough. Taking photographs of your trees can be useful. Not only will it provide you with a record of their progress, it will help if they should ever get stolen. It can also reveal glaring errors and flaws in your designs that are not immediately obvious in real life. Ask about our free critique service if you run short of ideas.

Growth is starting to slow down now during the heat of the summer and general maintenance is all that is usually necessary. Keep trees well-watered in hot weather and mist foliage in the evenings.

Stop feeding during August. Most trees enter a semi-dormant state at this time of year and they have no use for the food. Towards the end of the month they may put on a spurt of growth. Resist the temptation to resume feeding as normal because this will only result in leggy growth that will be hard pushed to harden off before winter. Also avoid excessive pinching and trimming about now. The back-buds induced will not have time to open and harden off and any new growth will more than likely die back.

Hardening off of the seasons new growth is the main objective from now until winter and this is best acheived by feeding with fertilizer high in potash and low in nitrogen. Tomato food is ideal. Feed weekly at ½ strength until the end of October.

Prepare your trees for winter. Remove excessive growths of moss especially if it has grown thickly on the surface where it will provide a breeding ground for unwanted pests. Move trees to a more sheltered position if possible but if placing under cover do not expose to artificial heat other than frost protection.      Events:- Bonsai expo, Sheffield

Time to think about Christmas. Visit the GREEN DRAGON BONSAI web site and drop big hints to near and dear ones for present ideas. Order early to ensure delivery on time. In the meantime keep an eye on your trees. Cut back on the water but don't allow the soil to dry out.

Curl up with a mince pie and plan what you want to do next year. Eat, drink and be merry but don't forget to keep one eye on those trees.