This is the last opportunity for clearing last year's dead tops.
  Unless the border was newly planted on well dug and manured ground, it will probably need an annual dressing of fertiliser in early spring. Use 2 oz. per sq. yd. of John Innes base fertiliser, bone-meal, hoof and horn, or any organic fertiliser fairly high in phosphates and potash but low in nitrogen.
Fertilise before digging. If digging between plants has been deferred until now, spread the fertiliser just before digging and then turn it into the soil. Ground dug in autumn or early winter may also need an application of fertiliser if the surface is beginning to dry. Be careful to apply it before spring cultivations are given, so that, if the surface is being raked or hoed, the fertiliser will be worked into the top 2-3 in. of soil.