January
January brings the snow, Makes our feet and fingers glow.
— Sara Coleridge, The Garden Year (1834)
A new gardening year begins
January may be one of the quietest months in the garden, but there is still plenty to do.
Use brighter, drier days to check plants and structures, clear away winter debris and prepare your tools and equipment for the growing season ahead.
Check trees and shrubs
Winter weather can loosen supports around young trees and shrubs.
Examine tree stakes and ties, tightening, adjusting or replacing them where necessary. Make sure ties remain secure without becoming too tight around growing trunks.
Check for frost damage
Repeated freezing and thawing can sometimes lift recently planted specimens from the ground.
Check around vulnerable plants and firm the soil back around anything that has been lifted by frost, helping protect exposed roots from further cold weather.
Keep gutters clear
Leaves and other debris can accumulate in the gutters of greenhouses and sheds.
Keep gutters and downpipes clear to prevent blockages and make sure rainwater can drain properly or reach your water butt.
Put fallen leaves to good use
Continue collecting fallen leaves for compost or leaf mould rather than simply throwing them away.
Clear away spent annual plants where necessary to reduce places where pests and disease may overwinter, while retaining some undisturbed areas for beneficial garden wildlife.
Get ready for sowing
Before the busy seed-sowing season begins, clean pots and seed trays ready for use.
Cleaning old containers now means everything will be ready when the first seeds need sowing and can reduce the risk of carrying problems from one growing season into another.
Look after your tools
January is an ideal time to give gardening equipment some attention.
Clean and sharpen tools and carry out a stocktake of seeds, compost, pots and other supplies. You can then replace anything you need before spring arrives.
Plant any remaining spring bulbs
If you still have spring-flowering bulbs that haven't been planted, get them into the ground when soil conditions allow.
They may perform differently from bulbs planted during autumn, but planting them gives them an opportunity to establish rather than leaving them unused.
Wildlife to look out for
Winter makes gardens particularly important for wildlife.
Keep bird feeders topped up and provide a regular supply of fresh water, particularly during freezing weather when natural sources can become difficult to find.
Look out for familiar winter garden birds including robins, blackbirds, blue tits, great tits, finches and wrens. Cold weather can bring additional visitors into gardens in search of food.
Hedgehogs should generally be hibernating, so avoid unnecessarily disturbing leaf piles, log piles, compost heaps and other sheltered places where they may be sleeping.
On occasional mild days, you may even encounter insects temporarily emerging from their winter dormancy. Leaving some stems, seed heads and undisturbed vegetation provides valuable overwintering habitat.
One last tip
A winter garden doesn't need to be perfectly tidy.
Do the jobs that protect plants and prepare for spring, but leave some natural areas undisturbed for wildlife.
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