January CHECKLIST
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Remove old flower stalks and dead material around the base of spent perennials to curb mildew, rust and red spider mite. Watch out for hawkmoth caterpillars feeding at night on impatiens, arum lilies and fuchsias – remove them by hand. Lawns will need slowrelease nitrogen-rich fertiliser to maintain their lush green summer colour. Garden containers, young seedlings and indoor plants should be fed with liquid fertiliser every two weeks. Azaleas and camellias will need an acidic fertiliser to help them set buds for winter. Don’t allow evergreen hedges and topiaries to grow out of shape. Keep them neat with regular light trims. Feed fruit trees like mangoes, avocados, lemons and granadilla vines. Apply specialised fertilisers for roots, foliage and future fruit production – use slow-release fertilisers at this time of the year.
Remove fallen fruit to discourage pests from breeding in them. Plant seedlings of celosias, annual salvias, petunias, impatiens, vincas, begonias and marigolds. Problems with scale and aphids? Spray against ants, as they are attracted by the sweet honeydew the sucking insects excrete and will spread the eggs of these pests everywhere.
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Use your hose to flush stagnant water from bromeliads to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching in there. Tame overgrown shrubs, except those that will flower and produce berries in winter and spring. Thin out vigorous deciduous climbers like wisterias, Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) and ornamental grape vines (Vitis coignetiae). Cut back rambling roses to remove branches that have finished flowering – new growth will bring new flowers. Turn indoor and shady patio plants and hanging baskets regularly towards the light to ensure even leaf growth. Pull out the old flowering stems of Inca lilies with a firm tug. You can dig up some roots and new shoots and replant them in other parts of the garden. Divide overgrown clumps of bearded irises and replant. Cut spent lilium flowers, leaving the leafy stems to produce enough food for next season. Keep them well-watered and well-fed until they die down. Treat grapevines against downy mildew. If you left your clivia seeds on, they should be a good shade of red by now. Sow them while fresh, into seed trays.
