Posted by Hannah Rowson on 19th Dec 2024
Gardening Jobs for January
January might be a quiet month, but there are plenty of maintenance tasks to get on with before the garden starts to become more productive. Here are some of the top gardening jobs for January.
Planting & Maintenance
- Plant bare-root shrubs. This month, you can continue planting bare-root roses, hedges, shrubs and trees (ornamental and fruit) while the roots remain dormant. Please make sure the ground is cold but not frozen before planting.
- Plant leftover Spring-flowering bulbs. Bulbs like Tulips can still be planted in January if you haven't already gotten them in the ground! Plant them now and enjoy them later in Spring.
- Move deciduous shrubs. It's an ideal time of year to move any deciduous shrubs that need a new home. Simply lift and re-plant in a more appropriate site, and your shrubs will thank you in Spring
Pruning & Care
- Prune climbing roses. Got a climbing rose? Now is the perfect time of year to give it a hard prune. Hard pruning encourages new, healthy growth and lets you re-shape your shrubs to your needs.
- Clean up fallen leaves. While you're in the garden, check for fallen leaves and make sure they're not smothering any of your alpine perennials.
- Grow your own mistletoe: press mistletoe berries into the bark of apple trees to establish your mistletoe plants!
Disease, Damage & Rot
- Check for Hellebore leaf spot disease. Winter months can be harsh for diseases and damage, one job to get on top of is removing and binning hellebore foliage affected by leaf spot disease. You can spot leaf spot disease through black blotches and marks. Cut these straight off to limit the spread.
- Check for downy mildew. Keep a close eye on winter bedding also, and make sure you're removing any foliage with downy mildew. You should be deadheading bedding regularly for fresh, healthy and new flowers, but just be on the lookout!
- Check stored bulbs for rot. We'd recommend checking on your stored bulbs for any rot and check your stored dahlia and canna tubers haven't fully dried out. There's nothing worse than coming back to your bulbs in Spring to find they've rotted, but it's easily avoided through regular checking.
They're our gardening jobs for January! Keeping on top of the jobs helps make sure you're fully prepared for a productive Spring and Summer filled with beautiful, healthy blooms.
Plants for Winter Interest
The garden may be quiet, but there are plenty of options that bring colour, texture and interest to your otherwise quiet displays.
- Hellebores are one of our favourite perennials for winter interest. They're incredibly low-maintenance and can flower for up to 4 months, seeing your Winter displays pull perfectly through to mid-spring.
- Cornus, commonly known as Dogwood, is a vibrant tree bound to add a pop of colour to the darker season, and will even produce flowers in late spring.
- Sarcococca, or Sweet Box, is an amazing evergreen shrub that produces an abundance of flowers throughout the Winter months. They're also a favourite for attracting birds.
Parker's Picks:
Further Reading
When is it Too Late to Plant Spring Bulbs? | How to Plant & Grow Roses