One of my pet hates, right up there alongside v-shaped hedges and the crew-cut pruning of trees, is the careless neglect of restraining ties on shrubs, young trees and climbers.

I'm not against the use of wire or plastic tree and shrub ties, it takes something much stronger than string or raffia to hold up a heavy climber or fasten a newly-planted tree to its stake, but they just don't rot and break like string or raffia does.

Surely that's a good thing?' I hear you say...well, yes, as long as you remember to check your ties every so often. What bothers me is that most of us have a tendency to use wire and plastic ties and then to forget about them until it's too late.

A well supported plant can grow rapidly; tied in with string it will eventually break loose but if its ties are wire or plastic, and they aren't checked and loosened regularly, it will simply engulf the ties and try to grow over any stakes or supports that are in its way.

For Sue's tips on how prevention can be better than cure, see the Leisure section in the February 23 edition of The Westmorland Gazette.

Jobs for this week...

If conditions are dry enough, lawns would benefit from a good raking to remove thatch and moss.

Prune established shrubs, such as aucuba, laurel and escallonia. Cut out completely any diseased, crossing or badly-shaped shoots, then remove up to one third of the oldest branches to ground level, leaving an open and healthy framework.

Re-pot foliage plants and potted ferns as they come into growth.