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The Garden In January

January 22, 2018 By Jill Anderson 2 Comments

The Garden In January- blue Viola flower

It’s a bright, cold day here, & if I wasn’t writing this, I’d be out in the garden, … honestly I would, because if you’re wrapped up well, it’s a fine place to be.

January is the perfect time to get everything ready for the busy times ahead, because although it looks like everything is on hold, things are stirring. Close inspection reveals small buds appearing, & underground roots will be putting on growth ready for the year ahead.

Preparation for the year ahead:

You have to admire weeds for their tenacity & ability to find just the right space to grow. They’ve made a good start in my garden already, so I’ve been out with my hoe to cut them off in their prime. Swiping their heads off with a hoe is far more satisfying, & much quicker than digging them up later in the year.

Clean plant labels from last year, gather together small plant pots, seed trays & make sure you have plenty of compost for seed sowing. Storing compost in a shed or greenhouse warms it up ready & welcoming for seeds.

Put food out for birds & a fresh supply of water, they especially need help at this time of year when most of their natural food supply, berries & the like, have all been eaten.

Flowers:

Last summer seems a long time ago, I have almost forgotten how lovely dahlia flowers are. But wonderful images on New Zealand Instagram accounts, where they are in full flower now, remind me that it’s worth getting organised now to have late summer flowers.

Order dahlias now online & they’re be delivered at the right time for planting. I bought mine as small plug plants last year & grew them on & it worked very well.

If you stored dahlias last year, check them for signs of dusty grey/green mould, gently wipe it off & move them to a dryer place with better air circulation.

The Garden In January-pink & white dahlia flowers

The Garden In January- www.growingnicely.co.uk, dahlia plants, multi coloured dahlia flowers & red gladioli flowers

Dahlias at the Wisley flower Show.

Cut the tattiest of the old leaves from Hellebore plants, especially if they have dark splodges on them, this indicates fungal disease. Minimise future infection by destroying the leaves, rather than composting them.

The idea is to allow light & air to get to the emerging flowers.

pink hellebore flower in my garden-The Garden In January

One of the Hellebore flowers in my garden last year.

Sow sweet peas in tall pots with plenty of room for their roots. You can soak the seeds overnight before sowing them to soften their hard casing & speed up germination.

The sweet peas I sowed last autumn are about 6in tall now, & in need of pinching out. This makes for bushier plants & therefore more flowers, though the flowers are generally smaller.

 sweet pea Cupani- red/purple sweet pea flowers growing on an obelisk

Cupani sweet peas, one of the best ones for scent.

Snip spent flowers from pots of winter bedding plants, such as violas or pansies. I’ve got a big pot of pretty purple/blue violas that, with spasmodic dead-heading, have been flowering for months.

Fruit & vegetables

It’s a good month to what you’d like to grow this year, make a reasonable list, then edit according to how much time & space you realistically have.

Write up plant labels & store them along with the relevant seed packets. Not only does this make you fell like you’re in charge, it’s one less thing to do when it gets busy in the garden.

Prune grape vines now, any later & the sap will have started to rise, which causing cuts to bleed.

Cut autumn fruiting raspberries back to soil level.

Prune blackcurrant bushes, cutting old, dark wood to the base & younger stems by a third.

Gooseberry bushes need thinning out to let air circulate through them.

pink gooseberries in a wooden box

Hinnonmaki gooseberries, my favourite variety.

Prune apple & pear trees, first remove dead, diseased & dying wood, then stand back & see what other small branches need removing to give an open shape to the centre of the tree.

I’m making marmalade this month, the first time ever. I’ve bought Seville oranges, apparently they make the best, bitter-sweet jelly, & I’ve also bought a sugar thermometer, to take the guesswork out of ready to set. I’m looking forward to marmalade on thick brown toast.

Most people are holding their breathe & waiting for Spring, but January hosts some wonderful shrubs, many of them with fabulous scents, such as Sarcococca [Christmas Box] & Daphne bohlua Jacqueline Postill. 

The Garden In January-Daphne Jaqueline Postill flower-pink flowers

strongly scented Daphne bohlua Jaqueline Postill

My last piece of advice is to find a winter garden for inspiration & then get out into yours, visit your allotment or tidy up your balcony. Enjoy the rest of the month, Spring will be here soon enough.

Jill

all photos: Jill Anderson

Related posts:

Hellebore flower, what to do in the garden in JanuaryWhat to do in the garden in January how to harden off seedlings- basil seedlingsHow to harden off seedlings ready for the great outdoors. what to do at the allotment June-potatoesWhat to do at the allotment in June An inspiring day at Deans Court.

Related posts:

Hellebore flower, what to do in the garden in JanuaryWhat to do in the garden in January how to harden off seedlings- basil seedlingsHow to harden off seedlings ready for the great outdoors. what to do at the allotment June-potatoesWhat to do at the allotment in June An inspiring day at Deans Court.
Filed Under: Gardening, Growing Food, Plants Tagged With: how to prune fruit bushes, what to do in the garden in january

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Comments

  1. Libby Wilkie says

    January 27, 2018 at 5:55 pm

    I had done a post a few weeks ago about the garden in winter and what a break from the gardening routine we all have. Is that good or bad? Do people like the break, or do they miss the daily garden? Well, one friend said she works with a local nursery/greenhouse and they grow her seeds for her all winter. What a great idea! So I, of course, found my wonderful Southern, local guy who helps me in the garden and who had mentioned he has a small greenhouse/cold frame. So now…my zinnias and scabiosa black knight (my favorite annual!) will have a nice head start during the winter months!

    Reply
    • Jill Anderson says

      January 31, 2018 at 3:53 pm

      Hi Libby, I like a break from gardening in winter, mainly because the weather isn’t very inviting!… though on a bright day it’s nice to be out there. A greenhouse or cold-frame is so useful in winter, I just have sweet peas in the cold frame, sown last autumn. I like the idea of a head-start, how lovely to have zinnias on the way! Jill

      Reply

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Hello, I’m Jill Anderson.
This is where you’ll find good, solid information about gardening, growing fruit & vegetables and how to keep it all looking good.
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The healing, calming power of nature in one photo. The healing, calming power of nature in one photo.
These wonderful autumn colours won’t be around for much longer. But that’s ok, because now is what matters, & their fleeting beauty makes them even more precious.
It’s easy to see how being among trees & nature is so beneficial for our health & wellbeing. 
Have a great Sunday.
Savouring all the autumn colour, & doesn’t it lo Savouring all the autumn colour, & doesn’t it look spectacular with this bold front door.
Today has been hard work, after a lovely time last week in Norfolk. The north coast there is spectacular. Realising these last few months, that there are so many beautiful places here. 
Have a nice evening.
Charming glasshouse at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. Vis Charming glasshouse at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. Visiting to see the Anish Kapoor sculptures, which are amazing, but unprepared for the beauty of the grounds & garden. 
Such a treat, worth coming to Norfolk for this alone!
Hope you’re keeping well, & managing to smile some of the time. x
P.S. more of Houghton Hall & Anish Kapoor on my stories
We stopped off on the way home to pick blackberrie We stopped off on the way home to pick blackberries, after coffee & cake, sitting in the churchyard - the cafe was full, & the churchyard is a quiet, peaceful spot..... as you’d expect.
-
One little advantage of lockdown is walking so much more, rather than using the car. Though it shouldn’t have taken something as momentous as this, for me to change bad habits 🙁
Hope you’re weekend is going well.
My hazel arch, a bit lopsided 🙄 using wood from My hazel arch, a bit lopsided 🙄 using wood from a random clump of hazel on the garden. Now looking much better covered in winter squash plants, so you can’t see just how ramshackle it is. I like to think it has a certain home-spun charm .

Great for small space gardening, imagine how much room you need to grow these without vertical supports.

I’ve got 2 Uchiki kuri, lovely nutty flavour.
1 Turks turban, for its flamboyant shape & colours, though it also tastes good.
One unknown, grown by my grandsons in their homeschooled science lesson.
Close-ups of the squash over on my stories.
Stay cool my friends x
I wanted to show you this lovely lily ( Lilium reg I wanted to show you this lovely lily ( Lilium regale) which is flowering right outside our bedroom window. 
It gets sun for about 4 hours only, you can order the bulbs now for planting in September. It’ll reappear every year & waft delicious scent around your garden, or through your windows.
Have a very happy Monday x
It’s British Flower Week, there’s a lot to be It’s British Flower Week, there’s a lot to be said for fabulous seasonal flowers that haven’t travelled thousands of miles ...... & are wonderful for biodiversity
A bit of rain, nice long days (it’s almost mid-s A bit of rain, nice long days (it’s almost mid-summer!) & it’s, mostly, all growing nicely.

Spinach, courgettes & garlic in shot here. 
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday x
Hope is a decision I’ve thought long & hard abou Hope is a decision
I’ve thought long & hard about how to view the tumult in the world we’re living in now. 
The only thing that works for me, is to choose hope.

It’s a tall order, but avoiding mainstream news & speculation helps avoid the anxiety, that’s often waiting in the wings.

One day soon there’ll be grandchildren clambering over this again.
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