Jobs in the garden
If you want an excuse to get outdoors on a fine January day, here are some things to be getting on with:
Pruning
Prune your wisteria by cutting back thin summer growth and leave only 2 or 3 buds.
Prune rose bushes this month while they are still dormant. Cut branches back to just above a bud – make sure you remove any crossing or dead branches.
Prune apple and pear trees. It’s best done during the winter while the plants are dormant. Aim to create an open frame of branches in a goblet shape and remove any crossing branches.
Wilkinson Sword Bypass Pruners: £11.99
Cutting back
Cut back ornamental grasses. Clip back the old foliage on your ornamental grasses before the new growth begins – cut back to within a few centimetres of the ground.
Cut back all the old stems from your perennial plants – be careful of any new growth.
Remove old hellebore leaves to allow the new blooms to come through for the spring.
Remove any faded flowers from your winter pansies to stop them setting seed and to encourage new blooms.
If the ground is soft, remove any lurking weeds that have popped up in your flower beds and borders.
Leave
Don’t prune stone fruit trees like plums, cherries and apricots until the summer. Pruning them now will make them susceptible to fungal leaf infections.
Avoid walking on your lawn whenever it is blanketed by heavy frost or snow, as this will damage the grass beneath.
Try something new
Try your hand at forcing rhubarb plants by placing an upturned bucket or bin over the crown. The tender pink stems should be ready in about 8 weeks’ time. You can also use a terracotta rhubarb forcer – pop in to see our range.
Come and see our wide range of bird feeders
And remember…
If it snows, be sure to brush heavy snow off hedges and conifers to prevent the branches from snapping out under the weight.
Keep your bird feeders topped up throughout the cold winter months – attracting birds into your garden will help to keep down garden pests as the birds will eat them.
Make sure that you have fresh water in the garden for the birds – if is freezes, pour some warm water over it so that the birds can get to it. We have a huge range of bird feed, feeders and bird baths – pop in and have a browse in our bird care area.
January is the perfect time to plan your vegetable plot – crop rotation will help to prevent pests and diseases building up in the soil. Decide on your seeds for summer vegetables and plan a planting schedule.
