January’s where it all starts again in the garden, says Pete Harcom, and it’s a perfect time for some plotting and planning, as well as tidying!
Happy New Year! It’s the beginning of the gardening year – and a good time to plan for the 12 months ahead.
Start thinking about what you want to do with your garden in the months to come. Now is the time to order seeds and plants from the comfort of your armchair! Have a look at the garden and think about what worked well last year and what needs attention.
Tidying up
Prune your wisteria this month by cutting back the thin summer growth, leaving only two or three buds.
It’s also the right time to prune rose bushes, while they are still dormant – especially if they are tall and vulnerable to wind rock. Cut branches back to just above a bud, making sure to remove any crossing or dead branches.
Cut back your ornamental grasses now, too: just clip the old foliage down before new growth begins. You can cut back to within a few centimetres of the ground.
You can also tidy up those messy perennials. Cut down the old stems of perennial plants like sedums, but be careful of any new growth.
Planting
If the soil is not too wet or frozen, now’s the time to plant bare root roses, shrubs, hedging and ornamental trees. Bare rooted plants are far less expensive than container-grown plants and can establish well. Many deciduous and evergreen shrubs, trees and hedging plants can be planted bare rooted as they are dormant between November and March. After this, the roots will establish themselves quickly once the soil warms up in the spring.
Sowing
Sow antirrhinum, sweet peas, lobelia, begonia and geraniums (pelargoniums) now, keeping them in gentle heat either in the greenhouse or an indoors windowsill – or a propagator if you have one.
Housekeeping
Check that small alpines in the garden haven’t been smothered by fallen leaves and other wind-blown debris.
Clear away the soggy and collapsed stems of perennials and compost them.
Deadhead your winter pansies and other bedding plants regularly.
Check your winter protection is still working for you — survey any stakes, supports and ties that might have been damaged in bad weather. Remove slimy patches from patios and paving by scrubbing with a broom or a blast with a pressure washer.
Lastly – feed the birds! Hang some fat balls and keep all bird feeders clean and topped up to attract birds: they’re not only lovely to watch, but they’ll eat garden pests!
