Peter Dowdall: The plants that make the winter cut 

Some plants improve with age but others should be regarded as shortlived 

The evergreen wallflower Erysimum Bowles Mauve looks truly stunning in flower but it can get very unkempt looking after a while and this is the time to be strict, says Peter Dowdall. Picture: iStock

December and January are the two best months to look at the garden with fresh eyes. Cut back what needs pruning and remove what needs removing, such as summer bedding which have gone over and plants which have outgrown their usefulness, and then look at the gaps.

In a case of “do what I say and not what I do”, we have to be brutal when deciding what “outgrown their usefulness” means. Most plants, like a fine wine, improve with age and add more and more to the garden each year as they mature but some plants, for me, need to be regarded as short-lived.