January Gardening Jobs
I will take snow and frost any day, as long as it means we can keep this glorious sunshine. I’m a big believer in not wishing away time and winter is a really good test of that for those whose heart lies in green grass on a warm summers day. Your garden isn’t just for the warm months, you can make the most of it on chilly winter days by having a few plants flowering at this time of year.
Sarcococca Confusa is a gorgeous evergreen shrub that flowers around the festive period (hence why it’s also known as Christmas Box – fnarr fnarr). Such sweetly scented small white flowers ideally placed in a slightly shaded area in a position you’ll be walking past frequently in the cold months to really get the benefit. I have one in a large planter next to my front door and it stopped me in my tracks the other day when the sweet fragrance caught me by surprise, having not realised it had started to flower.
Hellebore
Another winter classic is the Hellebore. I adore any and all hellebores and there’ll definitely be a colour to suit your tastes and planting scheme. Hellebores are ideally planted in a slightly shady spot, giving visual interest to a forgotten area of your garden.
You’ll also be in bees/pollinators/insects good books by having winter flowering plants and shrubs in your garden. Not all bumblebees hibernate all winter long and having a food source in your garden for them when they most need it is so valuable.
As for being in the good books, you’ll be in mine if you choose to do any of the following tasks over the next few weeks…
Prune Roses
For any new or old roses, it’s a good time of year to have a look at them and decide if they need some taming. Step back and assess the situation before going in with secateurs; you’re looking for any stems that are crossing or rubbing against each other, anything that looks dead/diseased/damaged, and the aim is to create a lovely open shape. Leave some longer stems that create the desired shape but don’t be scared to cut back any that need it, your rose will thank you in the long run.
The old tennis ball trick
If you have a pond or water source, pop an old tennis ball in during these really cold weeks to prevent the water from freezing over completely, this will benefit your local wildlife.
Order and plant bare root hedging
If your garden analysis (from last month’s blog post advice) came out that you need some more structure or hedging, now is a good time to get those in. Bare root hedging is cheaper than potted plants and getting them in the ground in the next few weeks/month will give them chance to get settled whilst they’re dormant.