January: Jobs for the Garden

January might seem like a quiet time in the garden, but it’s actually the perfect month to lay the groundwork for a flourishing year ahead. We’ve turned the corner and are welcoming back the light after winter solstice in December and there’s enough jobs to give you an excuse to get outside. It makes coming back into the warmth feel all the much nicer!

You may also be starting to see signs of life - this is the perfect time for Hellebore’s and snowdrops to begin to flower and the bulbs planted in Autumn may well be starting to pop up through the soil. Whilst with a quick glance everything still seems very dormant, but when you take a second to notice - there’s a lot beginning to happen already.

Whether you’re tending to tools, preparing for spring blooms, or giving some love to your existing plants, there’s plenty to keep green thumbs busy. Here are some key jobs I’ll be focusing on this month.

1. Give Your Tools Some TLC

Something I’m quite terrible at so writing this post comes as a welcome reminder for me too! Well-maintained tools not only last you longer but make gardening so much easier and keep your plants healthier. Here’s how to care for them:

• Clean: Scrub off any mud or debris with warm, soapy water. For stubborn dirt, use a stiff brush.

• Sharpen: Use a sharpening stone or file to bring a keen edge to your secateurs, shears, and spades. Sharp tools make clean cuts and therefore reduce plant damage.

• Oil: Prevent rust by lightly oiling metal parts with a garden-safe lubricant. Wooden handles can also benefit from a rubdown with linseed oil to keep them smooth and splinter-free.

2. Prune Apple and Pear Trees

Winter is the ideal time to prune apple and pear trees while they’re dormant. This will encourage healthy growth and improve fruit production, if that’s what you are after. As a florist, I love the fruit trees for the blossom in Spring - it make’s a gorgeous addition to displays at that time of year.

• Remove dead, diseased, or damaged wood: Using your newly cleaned and sharpened tools, this should be nice and simple!

• Open up the canopy: Aim for an open, goblet-shaped structure to let sunlight and air circulate freely.

• Shorten vigorous growth: Trim back last year’s shoots to about three buds from their base.

• Make wildlife houses: If you have the space in the garden, a few little piles of any larger prunings make a lovely little bug hotel.

3. Prune Roses

As with the fruit trees, now is a great time to prune the roses whilst they are most dormant. I am a huge fan of David Austin roses - they have a great pruning guide which I fully abide by. Pruning may also vary slightly depending on the type of rose you have so it’s a good idea to do some research. The general key points to focus on are:

• Removing any dead or diseased stems.

• Cutting back to healthy outward-facing buds to encourage a beautiful shape.

• Clearing the centre of the plant to improve airflow and reduce disease risk.

4. Sow Sweet Peas Indoors

Now is a great time to sow some hardy annuals. Sweet peas are a classic favourite and a gorgeous addition to any garden, offering vibrant colours and a fragrance that I don’t think you can beat. Once flowering, they are perfect for cutting - and if you do they’ll keep on going, giving you great value for money. Sowing them in January gives them a head start, resulting in stronger plants and earlier flowers. It also feels like a really promising thing to do doing during the darkest and coldest part of the year.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

1. Choose the Right Seeds: Pick your favourite sweet pea varieties—there are so many colours and scents to choose from! I often use Chiltern Seeds and particularly love the Grandiflora varieties for their yield.

2. Soak the Seeds: Place seeds in a bowl of lukewarm water and soak them overnight. If you forget, I have often only soaked for an hour or two and have never had a problem. The idea is to soften the seed coat and help germination.

3. Prepare Pots: Fill 9cm pots or deep seed trays with a good-quality seed compost. Sweet peas like room for their roots to grow, so opt for deeper containers if possible.

4. Sow the Seeds: Push each seed about 1-2cm deep into the compost. Space them evenly, with one seed per small pot or spaced out in trays.

5. Water Gently: Lightly water the compost, ensuring it’s moist but not waterlogged.

6. Provide Light and Warmth: Place the pots on a sunny windowsill but where they won’t get too hot (ie: not above a radiator).

7. Keep Moist: Check the seeds regularly and water sparingly to avoid drying out or over-watering. I tend to use a water tray and water from below - allowing the soil to soak up what it needs.

8. Pinch Out Shoots: Once seedlings reach about 10cm tall, pinch out the growing tips to encourage bushier growth and avoid lanky plants.

9. Harden Off: When the risk of frost has passed in spring, gradually acclimatise your sweet peas to outdoor conditions but putting them outside during the day (or in a cold frame if you have one) before planting them out into the ground or large pots.

I’m ‘hosting’ a sweet pea grow along this year - I’d love you to join me and grow some of your own! You can follow along for updates on my Instagram page, or please drop me an email and let me know how you are getting on too!

January may feel chilly, but it’s a month of quiet preparation and promise in the garden. With tools ready, plants tended, and seeds sown, you’ll be setting the stage for a glorious growing season ahead. Happy gardening!