You might think January is a dead time of year in the garden, but not necessarily so. Over the past 10 years our winters have got warmer, and it's now quite usual for snowdrops and winter aconites to start flowering in January. Shrubs such as winter honeysuckle, witch hazel and Viburnum bodnantense will add colour and gorgeous fragrance to the garden, and evergreens and conifers will ensure your plot looks good on the greyest days. So, if the view from your window is bare and dull, now's the time to decide on new planting to liven things up. Although January is often bitterly cold and wet there may be the odd bright day. Take the opportunity to mulch your soil using one of the wide range of J Arthur Bower's soil conditioners, then sit back and let the worms do the hard work for you.

ESSENTIAL JOBS CHECKLIST FOR JANUARY

• Clean and sharpen mowers, shears and other tools
• Mulch around fruit trees and established plants
• Protect phormiums, cordylines and other tender plants by wrapping them with bubble polythene or horticultural fleece
• Order bare-rooted roses from specialist firms
• Clean out your greenhouse
• Keep an area of your pond ice-free
• Order seeds from mail order catalogues

• Tidy up your borders if you didn't do it in the autumn and put the debris on the compost heap.
• Mulch between trees and shrubs to improve soil structure and fertility. You can use one of J Arthur Bower's soil conditioners for structural improvement or use the 100% organic Farmyard Manure if your soil needs feeding up. See our Quick Guide for more tips on improving your soil.
• Phormiums and cordylines need to be protected from sever frost and snow – tie the leaves loosely together and cover with horticultural fleece or bubblepack.
• Order seeds and plug plants by mail order
• Plant bare-rooted shrubs. Get them off to a great start by using one of J Arthur Bower's planting mixtures. See our Quick Guide for planting tips. If you haven't got time to plant properly yet, or the weather's awful, unpack the plants and dig a trench in a spare part of the garden. Lay the plants in the trench and cover the roots with soil until you have time to plant them.
• If you are planting a new hedge, prepare the site before planting by digging it over and adding homemade compost or J Arthur Bower's Farmyard Manure

• Plant bare-rooted roses following the instructions given in the Flower Garden and in our Quick Guide.

• Take the opportunity to check over your lawn mower and trimmer and clean them. Arrange to have the mower sharpened if necessary.

• Hygiene is crucial in the winter greenhouse, otherwise grey mould may infect over-wintering plants. Pick off old flowers and dying leaves and dispose of them. Don't overwater plants. It's worth using a fan in the daytime to improve air circulation.

• Even in winter containers of winter bedding such as pansies and ivies may need watering in dry conditions.
• If you have tender specimen plants protect them from the cold with fleece or bubblepack.

• Dig over new plots and leave roughly dug to allow frost to break down the large clods.

• Mulch between established fruit trees using one of J Arthur Bower's soil conditioners or mulches.
• Prune blackcurrants and raspberries.
• Plant new fruit trees following the instructions given in the Flower Garden section.

• If you haven't already removed pumps and filters from your water features, do so now. Clean and store the pumps until spring.
• Keep an area of you pond ice-free to stop a build-up of gases affecting wildlife.

Look at our information pages. The aim is to cut out the mystique that surrounds many common tasks, and to explain in a simple way, why and how to do them. This way, we hope to help you enjoy your garden more, and get the best out of it.

Under each topic, you'll also find a guide to the wide range of J Arthur Bower's products available to help you with that particular task. The choice is yours.