Gardening Jobs: January

Flowers

• Plant bare-root roses, shrubs, hedging and ornamental trees, as long as the ground isn’t frozen
• Take root cuttings of fleshy-rooted perennials such as oriental poppies, acanthus and verbascums
• Establish new colonies of snowdrops and hellebores by buying plants in flower, so you can choose the prettiest blooms
• Clear away soggy, collapsed stems of perennials and compost them
• Take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs, such as forsythia, willow and viburnum
• Remove and bin hellebore foliage marked with black blotches, to limit the spread of leaf spot disease
• Press mistletoe berries into the bark of apple trees to establish your own mistletoe plants
• Check that small alpines don’t become smothered by fallen leaves and other wind-blown debris
• Deadhead winter pansies and other bedding regularly, and remove any foliage affected by downy mildew
• Move deciduous shrubs that are in the wrong place to more suitable sites
• Check for rot on stored bulbs and tubers, and ensure dahlia and canna tubers haven’t totally dried out
• Continue pruning climbing roses, while they are dormant

Fruit and veg

• Winter-prune apple and pear trees to remove any dead, damaged, congested and diseased branches
• Sort out your seeds, throwing away empty or out-of-date packets and noting down any to buy for the coming season
• Plan this year’s crop rotation to ensure you grow each type of crop in a different bed to previous years
• Prune gooseberries and redcurrants, cutting sideshoots back to three buds from their base
• Clear old crops and weeds from the veg plot, then dig over the soil, mixing in compost as you go
• Regularly inspect stored crops, discarding any showing signs of rot or deterioration
• Plant bare-root fruit trees and bushes into enriched soil, as long as the ground isn’t frozen
• Ensure netting is in place over brassicas, such as kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbages, to protect from pigeons
• Cover rhubarb plants with a bucket or terracotta pot to force an early crop of tender long stems
• Feed spring cabbages with high-nitrogen feed to encourage leafy growth
• Prune blackcurrants, if you haven’t done so already, removing about a quarter of the old stems
• Order seed potatoes, onions, shallots and garlic bulbs for planting in spring

Greenhouse

• Sow winter salads in a greenhouse, conservatory or on a sunny windowsill, for harvests within a few weeks
• Tidy up the greenhouse, getting rid of any broken pots, old compost or debris that could hide unwanted visitors
• Move potted strawberry plants under cover to encourage early fruiting
• Check overwintering plants regularly for aphids, mealy bugs and other pests, and take action where necessary
• Bring potted peaches into the greenhouse to avoid leaf curl disease
• Plant hippeastrum (amaryllis) in pots and place on a warm windowsill
• Keep the greenhouse frost-free by installing a thermostatically-controlled electric fan heater
• Bring potted camellias into an unheated porch or greenhouse to encourage early flowering
• Take root cuttings of perennials such as phlox and Japanese anemones, and plant in free-draining compost
• Start sowing seeds of hardy annuals, such as cornflowers, cerinthe and ammi, in modular trays for early flowers
• Prepare your greenhouse for spring by improving the ventilation, shading and heating
• Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days to prevent humidity building up

House plants

• Give houseplants extra humidity to combat the drying effects of central heating
• Repot moth orchids after flowering if they look like they’re about to burst out of their pot
• Water house plants less frequently and move them off particularly cold windowsills at night.
• Plant hippeastrum (amaryllis) bulbs in pots for spectacular flowers over the festive season
• Repot any house plants that have become top heavy or pot bound into larger containers
• Move houseplants onto a sunny windowsill over the winter, to get as much light as possible during the shorter days, or choose indoor plants for low light
• Some house plants, like snake plants, are particularly prone to collecting dust on their leaves. So be sure to give these a wipe regularly
• Take leaf cuttings from house plants, including African violets and begonias
• Take leaf cuttings from succulents, such as echeverias, crassula and sedums
• Check your house plants for pests like aphids, scale insects, thrips and mealybugs
• Put large-leaved house plants into the bath or shower and hose them down to clean off accumulated dust
• Sow cacti seeds into moist, loam-based compost and place in a propagator or on a warm windowsill
• For more house plant advice and inspiration visit our Growing and caring for house plants page.

Source: https://www.gardenersworld.com/what-to-do-now-january/
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