Gardening: Cuttings: Grass in January

GRASS can be cut in any month of the year if the conditions are right. When I gardened on sandy soil, even in cold Kent, the grass was likely to grow at all times, and would be cut accordingly.

For a winter whiskering, choose a light machine, preferably without a roller, and one that picks up the clippings. The aim is to keep the grass tidy, but not low. An inch is short enough in winter. Now is the time, too, to give areas of grass with naturalised bulbs a last cut, if you wish to even out winter tufts of grass before the bulbs begin to show. Choose a windy day in a mild spell, when the lawn surface is dry and the soil itself is not too wet. On very heavy soils, wait until spring.