In the garden this week: Salad days are here again, plus rose care

Sow winter lettuce If you have a greenhouse, cold frame or even mini-polytunnel, it is time to get in the first salad ­sowings of the year. Use winter lettuces that can stand up to the cold. Kate McEvoy of Real Seeds recommends 'Australian ­Yellowleaf', 'Reine des Glaces', 'Devil's Tongue' and 'Emerald Oak' for this time of year. You could also use up the last of any oriental leaf seed that you have lying about, but ­expect to cut them small, as they will bolt as days lengthen. Get the best out of your roses Unpruned roses get leggy and woody, and produce blooms only at the tips of their branches. ­Rubbish. Being brutal now will make them pretty later. Cut out anything making the centre congested, and reduce all other growths by a good two-thirds, pruning to an outwards-pointing bud. But such hard pruning nicks much of the plant's resources, so start feeding and mulching now.