February is the time of year, when the mornings are frosty, the grass crunchy and either a low hung sun, or miserable grey day can be assured.
But there are dozens of jobs in the garden to do.
Finish pruning deciduous trees - Most deciduous trees are best pruned when dormant, in late autumn or winter.
Don't prune in early spring, as many trees bleed sap if cut at this time of year.
Prune autumn raspberries - Prune autumn fruiting varieties in mid-winter, cutting the old canes back to ground level.
Tie in new stems to the supporting wires as they grow, using garden twine.
Rejuvenate potted plants - Give potted plants an instant boost of nutrients by replacing the top layer of soil with fresh compost.
Chit early potatoes - Get a head start with your potato crop by chitting tubers now, about six weeks before you plan to plant them out.
Prune summer clematis - Give summer-flowering clematis a hard prune.
It sounds drastic, but the plant will put on rapid new growth during spring.
Take hardwood cuttings - You have until spring to make hardwood cuttings of holly, mock orange, azalea and other woody shrubs to make new plants.
Deadhead winter bedding - Deadhead faded flowers from your winter bedding plants to keep them tidy and encourage more colourful blooms well into spring.
Prune free-standing fruit trees - While they're still dormant, prune large apple and pear trees to remove dead, dying and diseased branches.
Choose new fruit bushes - Plant new fruit bushes for the coming year.
Take root cuttings - Propagate your favourite perennial plants from root cuttings.
Light is not important until shoots have begun to appear above the soil.
So, the best spot for starting root cuttings is in a gently heated wooden greenhouse, kept frost-free in winter.