Prolong flowering
Dead-heading isn’t just a spring and summer job and it’s well worth keeping an eye on the flowers of any winter-flowering bedding. Nipping off the heads of pansies and violas that have begun to wilt will direct more energy into the remaining blooms and leave more juice in the tank for the plant to produce additional flowers. If you haven’t got any winter pansies, let this be a reminder that they are an easy way of adding some annual colour to your beds in winter. A few flashes of white, blue or purple here and there can transform a pot, bed or windowsill.
Watch out for Hellebore leaf spot
Winter-flowering and available in a pleasing array of gentle pastels and rich dark hues, Hellebores are great at this time of year. Keep an eye on any leaves with blotchy black spots though, and remove and bin them. Leaf spot is a common disease that affects Hellebores but easy to prevent spreading by removing at the source.
Sweetpea sowing
Sowing sweetpeas is possible in late-January, especially if you’re in a warmer part of the country. Sowing now through to March will give you a beautiful display come summer.
To leave or not to leave
We’re big believers in leaving perennial plants intact through winter, long after the stems and flower heads have died. Until things start getting a bit warmer and new life shows signs of emerging from the base of plants, there’s an easy rule to follow with perennials – if it’s not rotting and you like the look of it, let it be. It will provide you with continued enjoyment and will very likely be providing some insect or birdlife with a habitat or even just a perch.
Grass-cutting
Cut back deciduous ornamental grasses like Miscanthus or Pennisetum, allowing new growth to come through and preventing the crown from overcrowding and rotting. For evergreen grasses like Stipa and Carex, instead comb through the fronds to remove any dead foliage.
Compost and fertiliser
With fewer jobs to do in the garden than usual, a satisfyingly easy one is to feed your pots and beds. Apply a decent layer of compost or other fertiliser to your beds to give them a hidden boost and enjoy a healthier, more robust display come spring.
Start a photo calendar
This isn’t really a job per se, but quite a rewarding experiment and project. Take a photograph of your garden, remembering exactly where you were situated when you took it. Repeat the process every month, from exactly the same spot over the course of the year so that, in twelve months’ time, you can track the progress, peaks and troughs of your garden through the year. By identifying any gaps as you go, you can use this project to help slowly optimise planting for year-round interest. Remember, gardening is often about playing the long game (although there are a few short cuts available!) and this is a perfect way of slowly planning ahead with purpose.
Gardening for nature
- Check bird boxes for detritus: If you think you might have had birds in your bird boxes last year, but didn’t clear them out, now is the time. Remove any old nests (or, a word of warning, any young that didn’t make it) and thoroughly disinfect the box before reinstalling it ready for spring.
- Keep bird baths free from ice and topped up with clean water, and don’t forget to keep your feeders topped up too. High energy food like fat balls, peanuts and sunflower seeds are good all rounders for British birdlife.
