Gardening Notes

January

• Keep indoor plants in a warm spot. Don’t allow them to dry out. Don’t place them touching cold windows as this may damage the plant.
• Carry out winter pruning.
• Plant tubs and hanging baskets using winter-flowering pansies and young shrubs.
• Use this quiet time as an opportunity to tidy sheds and greenhouses and to maintain and repair tools and lawn mowers, such as sharpening the blades of secateurs.
• Plant summer flowering bulbs once the frosts are over.
• Ensure that plants that require it are protected against the cold.
• Treat timber structures such as fences and sheds if the weather is dry with a coat of preservative or outdoor paint. Remember to check and treat any metal garden furniture.
• Avoid walking on frozen grass; you will crush the blades and leave black footprints. Do you need a hard path there?
• Make sure you keep off the grass where bulbs are growing through; the shoots will be pushing up now and open to stomping (narcissi, snowdrops, crocuses, fritillaries, etc)
• Stand on a plank or a board when working on borders, to avoid compacting the soil.
• To prevent diseases, keep removing the faded flowers.
• Cut out dead, diseased and crossed branches in apples and pears (not plums and cherries at this time).
• For early summer flowers, pot up lily bulbs in containers and place in a frost-free greenhouse.
• Brush snow off large evergreens and conifers, as the weight can cause considerable damage.
• Do not be afraid to run a light mower over the lawn in a windy mild spell. It will keep the grass even for the spring. Moss may be rampant now, but wait until spring to treat it.