What to do in your garden in January

The start of a brand new year is a great time for planning and preparing your garden. You might even get nature to give a helping hand this month by digging plots roughly and allowing frost to break down larger lumps of soil. If you’re looking for other handy tips for January here’s our suggestions.

Repair and preserve
At this time of year when many garden plants have died back for the winter, fencing is often more accessible so why not repair existing fencing or erect new? To preserve the life of your fencing use a quality treatment such as Ronseal Fence Life Preservative.

As you won’t be using your lawnmower at the moment, now is also a good time to give it an annual service ready for spring.

Protect
We’ve often mentioned protecting plants from frost at this time of year but please pay special attention to plants in pots. If the pot freezes (which may happen if we have a prolonged spell of freezing temperatures) it can crush the roots and kill the plant. This may not be apparent until spring when the plant wakes up, requires water and can’t take it up because the roots are dead. Protect your pot plants by protecting with fleece.

Preparing for the year ahead
Do you have any new year resolutions for your garden? Perhaps you plan to create or extend a vegetable patch? Try a new planting scheme or invest in some new hard landscaping or garden furniture. Whatever your plans, your time can be used wisely now to gather gardening information for the seasons ahead. If you need inspiration pop along to Rhinegold Garden Centre and have a chat with a member of our team.

Looking good now
When there isn’t a blanket of snow covering our plots, some plants can look really at their best this month namely: Sarcococca, Hamamelis and Gaultheria

Here is our top tips list for things to do in January…

GENERAL

  • Ensure wild birds have food and water.
  • Buy new compost for seed sowing. Allow to come to room temperature before using.
  • Sow seeds directly into seed tray inserts to save time.
  • Sow herbs indoors according to instructions on the packet.

TREES AND SHRUBS

  • Prune apple and pear trees.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

  • Plant new fruit bushes when ground is not frozen.
  • Prune soft fruit removing old stems.
  • Spray fruit trees with Growing Success Winter Wash.
  • Chit early seed potatoes by placing somewhere light and frost-free to sprout.
  • Sew broad beans in pots but protect from frost.
  • Apply manure to vegetable plots.

LAWNS AND PATHS

  • Keep off the lawn when frosty.
  • Apply weed killer to paths.

GREENHOUSE

  • Thoroughly disinfect the greenhouse Jeyes Fluid Multi-Purpose Disinfectant before use.

FLOWERS

  • Prune Wisteria side shoots to encourage flowering.
  • Sow sweet peas in pots of John Innes Seed and Cutting Compost for early cutting in June.

Need more advice?Talk to a member of our experienced garden team on your next visit to Rhinegold or post a question on our Facebook page