With the passing of the spring equinox, we are officially in the growing season and - while it might be hard to imagine now - the garden will soon be back in bloom again. In the meantime, there is plenty to keep us busy both inside and out. House plants need our attention now, as do flower beds, which need some nourishment for the busy months ahead. Here's my list of the eight jobs for gardeners this week.

• Increased light levels mean house plants start to wake up so they will need more watering. Start to feed them, too, e.g. citrus plants.
• Lift and divide perennials that aren't in flower. If they are flowering, it's best to leave until autumn. It's good to do hostas before they come into leaf.
• Feed roses and other flower beds with general fertiliser such as chicken pellets or well-rotted farmyard manure.
• Prune penstemons – they might look messy over winter but this will have helped to protect the plant from frost.
• Depending on the weather in your area, it'll soon be time for the first lawn cut. Keep the blade higher for the first cut and apply a high-nitrogen fertiliser to give turf a boost.
• Climbing roses are starting to put out shoots – tie in to support using twine or string in a figure of eight. This allows a bit of movement for the stem as it flexes and grows.
• Take softwood fuchsia cuttings and place in a heated propagator or cover with polythene, and sow dwarf French beans in the greenhouse to get a head start on your crop.

are a staple of the late summer garden and often flower on into autumn. Their colourful and joyful blossoms have made them a firm favourite with gardeners and they're great as cut too. Now is a good time to buy your tubers and get them into growth so they're ready for planting out as soon as frosts have gone.

As the in some places has been unseasonably warm, with Crosby in hitting nearly 20 degrees in early March, it can be tempting to think it's OK to put tender plants outside. However in our unpredictable climate, we can still have frosts in late April and early May. So for the time being keep your dahlia tubers protected somewhere light, such as a sunny windowsill or a frost-free .

Whether you are buying new tubers or replanting those you , plant in some fresh and keep the soil moist. As they grow and develop leaves, when they are around 10in tall you can pinch out the top growth back to the top pair of leaves. This will encourage the stem to produce more buds and result in a sturdier, bushier plant with more flowers.

If you prefer, you can plant tubers straight into the ground in May or buy young plants. Dahlias are hungry plants so improving your soil beforehand will get better results. Do this by adding compost and mulch around the plants. Apply a slow release granular feed which will satisfy their nutrient requirements or apply a liquid feed every fortnight.

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When they are producing flower buds, you can boost with a high-potassium feed such as a tomato feed or a homemade potassium-rich comfrey potion. Dahlias are from Mexico so choose a sunny, sheltered spot. You're spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing varieties.

If you're in a small space consider some dwarf bedding varieties. These work very well in containers and window boxes and there are some lovely varieties such as 'Art Fair'. It's compact with white flowers that have a gentle yellow centre, or the more vibrant 'Gallery Pablo' with zingy pink and yellow flowers. If you've a bit more space, you can plant up larger selections in pots or incorporate into your borders.

These will need staking – even though the stem looks thick and sturdy, it is hollow and can snap in half on a blustery day, particularly if it is heavy with flowers. So if the variety grows to above 3ft, use a tall stake such as a bamboo cane that you can tie the plant to as it grows taller. Position the stake a couple of inches away from the stem so you aren't piercing any of the tubers. Here are some varieties I recommend:

• 'American Dawn' will guarantee you oodles of flowers as it's well-known for its abundant flower production. The blossoms are a warm coral with purple at the centre.
• 'Chat Noir' is a semi-cactus with rich red petals and dark maroon centre. Long stems and good vase life make this an excellent variety to grow for cut flowers.
• 'Café Au Lait’ combines dusky pink and milky coffee colours. The large blossoms will keep going until autumn and make great vase displays.
• 'Totally Tangerine' is a hot mixture of orange and pink and its open flowers are a good choice to help pollinators.

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