January Gardening Hints & Tips

Things to do this month

From the potting shed...

Written by our plant department colleague, Chris Milborne who is based at our Great Amwell centre

A new month, in a new year, in the garden…

The weather can be cold, challenging, damp, wet, perhaps even snowy - but there will be some glorious sunny, crisp, dry days too. Whatever the weather, you can enjoy those garden plants that offer delightfully scented flowers, and the trees and shrubs with interesting bark and stem colours that look great against the evergreens.

Week by week as the month progresses, leaf buds on trees and shrubs begin to swell. Below the layer of decaying autumn leaves you can just see the first green shoots of early spring bulbs pushing through soil, giving hope for the wonderful, colourful display to come.

Now is the time to think of the summer ahead and plan how you want to use your garden. This might be family entertainment, growing-your-own, or perhaps just a low-maintenance garden with evergreen plants and shrubs, and easy-to-grow herbaceous perennials.

You could consider a dedicated fruit and vegetable area. Think about seed potatoes, onions, shallots and garlic bulbs. These become available mid-January in time for planting in spring when conditions improve. If you have a greenhouse, you can start chitting (this encourages buds to sprout before planting) first early potatoes for forcing in pots to get the earliest new potatoes. You could also grow a few pots of mint too.

Start planning your growing area if weather conditions allow. Dig over the soil and remove any perennial weeds, before incorporating the compost. For early sowing, covering the soil with fleece helps to warm it slightly. If you’re trying a ‘no dig’ regime, cover the beds with cardboard to keep them weed-free, then cover the cardboard with a thick layer of compost. This will break down over the winter months.
Fruit bushes such as gooseberries, blackcurrants, red and white currants can be planted this month. Existing plants can be pruned. Give standard apple and pear trees a winter prune. As a guide, remove any crossing, dead, diseased or broken branches then shorten the previous year’s growth, aiming for an open wine glass shape. This allows for good light and air circulation through the branches.

If the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged, mulch around the trees and fruit bushes with a good layer of garden compost, rotted leaf mould or well-rotted manure. This will give the plants a good start in spring as it feeds the soil and replaces the nutrients and humus leached out by winter rains.

For early strawberries, pot up some runners and grow them on in a warm greenhouse. This will hopefully give a crop in June.

For year-round interest, consider a mixed border using spring bulbs, shrubs, and a range of herbaceous perennials that give flowering interest over a long period. If you add roses, grasses and climbers grown on obelisks for height and a few evergreens for winter, you should have a garden that has something to catch the eye each month of the year.

Shrubs that are easy to grow and look after include Ribes, Forsythia, Spiraea, Philadelphus, Roses, English Lavender and Hardy Fuchsias. If you don’t have a dedicated fruit and vegetable patch you could add edibles such as blackcurrants, redcurrants or gooseberries. These look good and have the added benefit of providing fruit.

Once your border plants are established after the first season, they will last for many years. They will just require a regular feed, a good mulch of organic matter to enrich the soil and an annual prune.

Just remember, when planning your garden, take into account the sunny and shady areas and importantly the type of soil, whether it’s acidic, lime/chalk, clay or sand.

If you wanted to attract birds, bees, butterflies etc into the garden, you could create a small pond or water feature and plant flowering shrubs like Buddleia and lavender. Alternatively, select single-flowered herbaceous perennials. Annuals are very easy to grow too. You can do these from seed and the choice is massive. Have a look at Calendulas, Limnanthes, Cosmos, Nigella, Zinnias, Clarkia and annual rudbeckia. You could also consider herbs such as Borage, Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano and Sage.

If you are using pots or containers, and the weather is cold, frosty or snowy, then move them close to a wall or cover with fleece.

In January, the bedding cyclamens will be over, you can lift these and replace with pot-grown bulbs - there’s a wide range available. You could use snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, or to extend the flowering period, tulips. For those with a warm (frost-free) greenhouse, conservatory or a spare windowsill, plug plants become available in January for growing on and allowing the earliest summer colour for your containers and hanging baskets.

To provide some winter colour have a look at plants that have coloured stems or attractive bark. There is Prunus serrula, with a smooth, shiny, conker brown colour bark plus white flowers in early spring. Many of the Japanese Acers have interesting stem colours that stand out well in a winter garden as well as beautiful foliage which, in the autumn, turns into a stunning display of colour. These require light shade and humus-rich soil that doesn’t dry out or become waterlogged.

Betula utils var jacquemontii has brilliant white stems. Cornus (dogwood) has some of the most colourful stems depending on the variety, including reds, vibrant greens, pink-orange and even a form of black in Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’. If you opt for a Cornus, once the plant has established, prune these back hard in late February or early March to encourage the new stems. The only exception is the Midwinter Fire variety, which is pruned every two to three years.

Other plants with winter interest include Corylus avellana Contorta (Corkscrew Hazel) - grown for its contorted, twisted stem and its catkins in late winter. Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) has citrus-scented “spidery” flowers on bare stems. Hamamelis intermedia ‘Aphrodite’ has orange flowers, whilst ‘Diana’ has red and ‘Arnold Promise’ has yellow. It prefers rich soil, not chalky, in sun or light shade.

You could also consider Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ with its delightfully fragranced flowers in late winter. It likes a sunny spot with fertile, well-drained soil and added organic matter. Once planted it doesn’t like to be moved. There is also Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’; Jasminum nudiflorum; Mahonia; Viburnum; Sarcoccoca to choose from.

For height, try Clematis cirrhosa ‘Jingle Bells’, which has scented creamy and speckled flowers from winter through to spring, with dark-green glossy leaves. It’s ideal for training on walls, arches, pillars or clambering through trees.

If it’s cold, wet and miserable outside then it’s a good time to enjoy houseplants - there is a vast range to choose from! Some with beautiful tropical-looking flowers like the orchid family or Anthuriums, others with lush foliage, upright or trailing with a variety of leaf shapes. Some even have health benefits by clearing the air of impurities, absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen.

If you’re looking for something easy to care for then here are a few ideas…

Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily):

These were introduced into Europe from Columbia in 1824 - they clean the air of impurities and tend to flower better when slightly pot-bound.

Anthurium:

Native to South America’s rainforests. They produce brightly-coloured waxy flowers and glossy leaves. They do best in a warm shady position such as a kitchen or bathroom for the extra humidity. Alternatively, stand the pot on a saucer of damp pebbles or sand.

Cacti and succulents:

Chamaedora (Parlour Palm), Kentian Palms, Philodendrons are all easy to maintain.

Ferns & foliage:

Ferns prefer a semi-shaded spot, whilst Dracaenas and Yuccas enjoy bright conditions and average room temperatures but be careful not to over-water, especially in the winter. The Swiss Cheese plant (Monstera Deliciosa) is very popular. Keep it out of direct sunlight, it likes the compost to be just moist. In winter, as the plants grow, push the aerial roots into the soil or fix to the supporting moss pole. Mist the leaves in dry, warm conditions.

A common question we get at this time of year is about the small black flies or gnats that are found around house plants. These are Sciarid flies. The adults cause no harm but are a nuisance - their larvae live in the top 2-3 inches of compost. To remedy the problem, water less often and let the compost dry out between watering. Use a mulch, this can be gravel, or a more decorative topping and you will prevent the flies from laying their eggs. Alternatively, you could try nematodes or growing carnivorous plants such as the Venus Fly Trap. You can make a feature of this by growing in a glass bowl or fish tank together with other similar plants such as Pitcher plants and maybe ferns, Ficus pumila, selaginella. Peperomia or small bromeliads.

Finally with the cold weather, keep the bird feeders filled up and ensure fresh water is available. Regular cleaning is important to prevent diseases spreading.