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Monthly Tips >
January
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Gardening tips from William Sinclair Holdings PLC.
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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
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TOPICAL TIPS FOR JANUARY
- 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
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- Plant bare-rooted roses following the
instructions given in the Flower Garden and in our Quick
Guide.
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- Take the opportunity to check over your
lawn mower and trimmer and clean them. Arrange to have the
mower sharpened if necessary.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Dig over new plots and leave roughly dug
to allow frost to break down the large clods.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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NEED MORE HELP?
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.
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