The removal of fading, dying or dead flower heads after flowering, known as deadheading, not only improves displays directly by tidying up the plant, but also prolongs and improves flowering over time by encouraging the plant to put its energy into growth and flower production rather than producing seeds.
With nearly all trees and most shrubs deadheading is not practicable, but it is particularly worth the effort for repeat flowering shrubs, such as large flowered hybrid tea and cluster-flowered roses, as well as free-flowering plants such as lilacs.
Pinch off the old blooms between fingers and thumb or use a pair of garden snips or prunes for tougher stems.
Shrubs that produce a lot of small flowers, such as heathers, are usually easier to deadhead using a pair of shears.
A few shrubs, such as magnolias, produce next year's blooms just behind those produced this year, so you need to be careful not to break these off too.
Hydrangeas are the exception to the deadheading rule because the old blooms should be left on the plant to protect next year's buds in winter.
Only in early spring should the faded flower heads be removed.
If you have any shrubs that are of borderline hardiness for your area, it is worth protecting them over the winter.
Even normally hardy shrubs may need protection during a severe or unseasonably cold spell.
Cold and wind or a combination of the two is the main problems.
Evergreens in particular can be scorched by cold winds in winter, especially if the soil is frozen, because the plant is unable to replace the water it loses through its leaves.
The easiest way to protect individual plants is to erect a windbreak supported on wooden stakes.
Groups of small shrubs can be protected by covering them with netting firmly anchored on all sides and held off the plants on canes topped with upturned pots.
A more long term solution is to choose hardy trees or shrubs as windbreaks.
Some shrubs, such as hardy fuchsias and eucalyptus, will die down to ground level in cold winters and sprout again in the spring.
In severe spells of cold weather, however, the roots can be killed, so they are worth protecting with an insulating layer of leaves or straw.
Make an enclosure over the root area using plastic mesh and fill it with dry leaves in autumn, or cover the roots with a six inches layer of bark chippings.
This can be removed in spring and used as border mulch.