Of all the plants gardeners regard as weeds, I find the lesser celandine one of the most engaging, writes ROSEMARY WARD.

This is partly due to its emergence in the dog days of winter, so fresh and cheerful-looking. Were it not so common and prolific I'm sure it would be highly prized, with its neat, glossy, heart-shaped leaves and burnished golden flowers opening whenever the sun appears.

Unhappily for gardeners, lesser celandine doesn't know where to stop, and those glossy leaves can form a smothering carpet on lawns and borders.

I admit I tend to tolerate the lesser celandine in most parts of the garden, especially as it disappears below ground by May.

However, if you want to get rid of it, the time to act is once the leaves are fully developed but before the flowers open - generally in March.

You can dig it out carefully with a had trowel, removing a core of soil to avoid any tubers breaking free, and consign the whole lot to your council's green waste collection or a bonfire - your own compost heap probably won't get hot enough to kill the tubers.

Otherwise your best option is to treat it with a glyphosate-based weedkiller. On paths and paving, path weedkillers should work, but the plant is not very susceptible to lawn weedkillers and you may need to treat affected areas with glyphosate, then re-seed or re-turf.

Jobs of the week l Sow broad beans, lettuce, parsnip, radish, spring onion and early varieties of carrot and peas outdoors once the soil is warm enough for weeds to germinate.

lStart feeding houseplants and repot any with root-filled pots. Clean shiny-leaved plants with a damp cloth and hairy or spiny ones with a soft brush.

lPrune rose bushes by a third to a half if not already done. If you have lots of plants, use a hedgetrimmer and they will be all the better for it.