Planting
· Now is a great time of year to get down to the garden centre to look for some fantastic winter berries and flowers to liven up your Winter Garden.

· Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn' is one to look out for, with its long flowering period from late autumn right through to spring. The flowers are tubular in clusters, and start out dark pink, ageing to white with pink flushing. The best thing about this plant is its fantastic scent, so position it where it can be appreciated. It will grow to about 3m x 2m. Also look for Viburnum x bodantense 'Debden' which has white flowers flushed with pale pink.

· Skimmias are a really useful winter shrub. Most are dioecious (ie having male and female flowers on different plants) so both sexes must be planted together to get any fruits. The most common variety is Skimmia japonica 'Rubella', a male clone with red-edged green leaves and red flower buds during autumn and winter. My local garden center is full of Skimmias at the moment and there are some real bargains to be had!

· Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragmentisimma) is a deciduous shrub which is happy with minimal pruning, but it can grow to up to 8ft. From late winter to early spring it produces pairs of creamy white flowers which smell just like lemon and honey. It won't flower well planted close to a wall, so give it plenty of space. Use its branches in flower arangements to brighten your home post-Christmas!

Read on for more January tips from Sven, plus how to ask him a question of your own.