While the majority of the garden lies dormant in January, according to Monty Don, there are still tasks to be completed. Sharing in a blog post last year, Monty shared what jobs should be completed in January.
It included planting tulips, caring for poinsettias, and pruning fruit trees. This means now is a great time to get back into the garden and have a thriving spring outdoor space.
Tulips
While it’s not too late to plant tulips, Monty stressed that January is really the last time they can be sown.
The blog post read: “Tulips planted now might flower a little later than those planted in November, but they will make a perfectly good display. If intending to leave them in the ground plant as deeply as you can, at least four inches.
“But if you want a good show this year, they can be popped an inch or two in the topsoil and will be fine for this spring.”
When planting in a container, ensure it has good drainage, as the roots can rot in damp soil.
Poinsettias
Hundreds of thousands of poinsettias are given as Christmas gifts, and with a little care, they can last for months.
Monty recommended keeping them somewhere with a constant average temperature, avoiding drafts, cold windows, or very bright spots.
The gardening expert added: “They like plenty of water but let the compost dry out before giving them a really good soak, standing the pot in a sink full of water and leaving it to stand for 10 minutes or so before letting the excess water drain from the pot.”
Fruit tree pruning
Monty continued: “This is always my big January job, and if nothing else, this is something I like to have finished by the end of the month.
“If you prune an apple tree hard each winter, it will make a mass of new growth but no flowers, and therefore no fruit.
“This cycle is often perpetuated by even harder pruning the following year, to get rid of all that new, fruitless growth, which, having lots of lovely succulent sap, will attract aphids and fungal disease.”
If you wish to curtail growth, leave pruning to July, when the foliage is fully grown and before the roots start to store food for winter.
Monty noted: “Do not prune plums, apricots, peaches or cherries as these should be pruned in late spring and only if absolutely necessary.”
Mulching
January is an ideal time to apply mulch in the garden, as it helps suppress weeds, improve soil structure, and retain moisture.
Whenever you mulch, be sure to use well-rotted organic material and apply it generously.
Monty said: “Spread the mulch around all existing plants at least two inches thick, and twice that is twice as good.
“In principle, the thicker the mulch is, the better it will do its work, so it is more effective to mulch half the garden every other year well than all of it annually but inadequately.”
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