Homeowners aiming to see their gardens blossom this spring could start their preparations from the comfort of their own home kitchen.Gardening expert Jo Whittingham has suggested that many homeowners will be playing catch-up in their gardens at this time of year following weeks of severe winter weather.If your garden is looking as drab and dishevelled as mine, then get out with secateurs and a rake to cut back last years old bedraggled foliage and pick up dead leaves to make way for the new growth thats sure to come when milder weather arrives, she said in a column for the Scotsman.Ms Whittingham advised against sowing early crops like broad beans and peas into cold wet soil, adding that it is better to start them off in pots to be planted out later.Homeowners could therefore set up pot plants in core areas of the kitchen such as around the kitchen sink before moving them outdoors when it warms up.Elsewhere, homeowners were advised to avoid walking on gardens where the ground is still sodden from Januarys thaw and heavy rain.