As January rolls on, sunny afternoons and lengthening days remind us that in just a few weeks we will be sowing seeds and enjoying the flowers of early spring. Despite frozen soil there’s still plenty to do in the garden, as long as care is taken.
It’s important to avoid working frozen or waterlogged soil, as this can cause permanent damage. When possible, avoid walking on waterlogged soil too. Instead, work from a plank or board that spreads the load.
Now is a good time to prune currants and gooseberries – especially new bushes or cordons. If you were too busy last summer to prune summer fruiting raspberries, there is stil time. Cut out last year’s fruiting stems at ground level and tie in the young growth, evenly spaced along the supporting wires. This is also a good time to remove old, outer leaves of Iris unguicularis to reveal their fragrant winter flowers as well as old leaves of Hellebores that have been affected by leaf spot.
This is also a good month for finishing off winter jobs such as tidying beds and borders if you have not already done so. Snowy or rainy days are the ideal time for indoor jobs such as ordering seeds and plants for spring, writing labels, and planning garden changes or improvements for the year ahead. Completing these task now will mean you are fully prepared when gardening begins again in earnest in early spring.
Many gardeners also use the long winter evenings as an opportunity to learn more about gardening. The RHS Horticulture Level 2 Garden Planning is ideal if you would like to learn more about garden design and planting plans, while the Level 2 Plant Growth will help you to build knowledge of plant health, propagation and soil cultivation in time for spring.
Tasks for January:
Kitchen Garden
- test your soil
- apply lime if required, if your soil is not frozen or waterlogged
Flower Garden
- Check bulbs, corms and tubers in store
- service your mower or have it done professionally
- order seeds, bulbs and plants for the coming season
- take hardwood cuttings
- take root cuttings.
- keep an area of water open in an iced over pond if there is a prolonged freeze – floating a ball on the surface before freezing is often enough to achieve this, but in very cold areas try standing a pan of hot water on the ice until it melts through
- knock heavy snow off hedges and conifers if the branches start to bend the weight. If you leave it, the shape may be spoilt
- insulate the cold frame for extra protection against the coldest weather.
The Garden and Conservatory
- Once a week check all plants and pick off any dead or dying leaves before they start to rot
- ventilate on warm sunny days
- start off overwintered chrysandthemum stools (roots) to provide cuttings.
Plants at their best
- Chimonanthus praecox (shrub)
- Eranthis hyemalis(bulb)
- Erica carnea (shrub)
- Erica x darleyensis (shrub)
- Galanthus nivalis (bulb)
- Garrya elliptica (shrub)
- Hamamelis mollis (shrub)
- Iris unguicularis (herbaceous)
- Ilex (hollies)
- Jasminium nudiflorum (wall shrub)
- Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ (tree)
- Sarcococca (shrub)
- Virburnum x bodnantense (shrub)
- Virburnum tinus (shrub)
