What to do in January in the garden?
The year is just starting and although it seems there’s nothing to do and the garden looks boring, think again! There are still plenty of plants to enjoy, tasks to be done and dreams to be planed!
Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year. For gardening begins in January with the dream.
Josephine Nuese
January is a good time to move deciduous trees and shrubs. If you need to relocate a plant because it will display better in another place or simply because the current position does not suites its natural needs, this is the time to do something about. If the tree or shrub is large you may need a friend or two to help on the move. Never underestimate the effort needed to move large plants. Lift the plant with much roots as possible so it has better chances to survive. Obviously, you can also plant new trees and shrubs at this time.
As the majority of plants are now with no leaves, it is easier to check ties and stakes. Loose the ties that maybe start hurting the bark. Check if the stakes are firm enough to support the plant.
Pruning and training of deciduous trees and shrubs can also be done now as the plants in dormancy. Also, it is easier to decide what to cut back when you can easily see the trunk and branch structure.
It is not to late to take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs like Berberies, Cornus, Forsythia, Chaenomeles and Roses. Even if you feel your garden is full, this costs you nothing and you may need to replace some plant or simply give as gift to a friend.
Plant deciduous hedges now. The cheapest way to create an hedge is buying young bare root plants.
At this time of the year there are some pests and diseases around. Don’t forget to do some cleaning in the greenhouse as well as remove fallen leaves or rubbish that was left lying around. It’s also important to some weeding as it in incredible how weed seedlings germinate even in the cold of winter.
