The garden in January
The garden in January needs to be prepared for all sorts of weathers, and if you’ve been following our advice over the last few months, your hard work is done for now. Most plants are dormant this month as they sleep through the cold weather, but there are still a few things to do in the garden. Spring is just around the corner and work can be done to prepare for the warmth of the new season. When its not too cold, beds and borders can be dug over and lawn edges can be repaired and
Plant of the Month Helleborus Why should you plant them?
The essential gardening jobs for January Protect plants
Dig over bare ground
January is known for cold frosts and bitter winds so plants will need protecting.
Run a fork through your vegetable patch or flower beds.This will help to aerate – getting air into the soil is If you haven’t already done important because plant so, ensure protective fleeces roots need oxygen. are in place on tender plants over-wintering outdoors. Choose a dry day when the soil isn’t too wet. Don’t break Lift containers up onto pot your back breaking down feet – if water isn’t draining large lumps of soil. away the soil can become waterlogged. Keeping them large can help air circulate and any later Wet compost can rot roots frosts will break them up. and cause pots to crack in frost. Feed the birds Remove snow from tree and shrub branches by knocking with a broom. Even a small amount of snow can add a lot of weight to branches, causing them to snap.
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Natural food sources for birds are in short supply during the winter. Give them a helping hand by putting food out for them. Keep the food topped up but not full all the time – little and often is best.
Popular because they flower in cold winter and early spring, Hellebores herald the start of the New Year bringing a touch of colour to the garden. Commonly know as ‘ Christmas Roses’ they are easy to grow and very hardy. They produce attractive flowers and their leaves create a perfect evergreen backdrop to spring flowering bulbs. How should you plant them? Plant in shady herbaceous borders and the areas between deciduous shrubs to give an early splash of colour. Happy in dappled shade they should be planted in rich, heavy soil that won’t dry out in the summer. ideal planting companies include Snowdrops, Primrose, Cornus and Mahonia.
