January
Mahonia Winter Sun.
Winter in the garden is wonderful: the striking red stems of Cornus Sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire' (Dogwood); the wonderful framework of Salix Alba (Willow; flowers and blooms such as Hamemelis (Witchhazel), Lonicera x Purpurii ‘Winter Beauty' (the shrubby Honeysuckle); or, a favourite to have by the front door, Jasminum Nudiflorum (Winter Jasmine) with its small, fragrant yellow flowers.
Colourful against the barren, cold, winter earth are the white and pink heads of Cyclamen Coum, the bright buttercup yellow heads of Eranthis Hyernalis (Winter Aconite) and the early nodding heads of Galanthus (Snowdrops).
Are you thinking that Gardeneer teams consider January as time to take it easy, sit by a fire and plan how gardens will look during the year? Not so! If they don't get out there tidying up leaves and debris, cutting back unwanted dead stems of herbaceous perennials, digging over soil in preparation for spring planting, trenching, protecting and supporting plants, making sure spring bulbs are buried and tidying lawns and gardens in general, there'd be precious little to see later on!
With careful planning and plant layout, every garden can give winter pleasure and seasonal interest all year round. Gardeneer can work with you to plan and design your garden. Whether it's just one border or a whole new garden, Gardeneer will make it just the way you want to enjoy it-and now is the ideal time to get in touch with Gardeneer so that your garden dreams can come to life.
And don't forget that, after the severe winter winds, a team is available to carry out repairs to damaged fences or build new ones.
Tips for the January garden
• Remove any moss or leaves from borders and gently till, without damaging the shoots of emerging bulbs, to aerate the soil and promote growth. This also removes any weeds which have continued to grow and gives the garden a neat cultivated look.
• Faded flowers and the stems of some perennial plants, such as sedums, look untidy so should be cut down to soil level, making sure that any new growth coming through is not damaged. A light mulch of compost or rotted bark helps to protect new growth from frost damage.
• As the days begin to lengthen later in the month, apple and pear trees can be pruned, reducing lateral growths to three strong buds to encourage fruit spurs. Peach and plum trees should not be pruned as this can encourage disease.
• Bare rooted roses and shrubs can continue to be planted. Apply plenty of compost and bone meal or rose feed into the bottom of the hole before planting to give the roots a good start. Roses planted this winter will flower in the summer.
• Look out for some of the plants that bring colour to gardens in January, such as: hellebores, chimonanthus, galanthus (better known as snowdrops), mahonia x media 'Buckland' and the colour and scent of hamamelis mollis (witch hazel).
