Winter Garden Advice
DECEMBER
General Maintenance
Dig over empty borders, make new beds and tidy up the beds by removing weeds and preparing the ground between established plants. Apply a light, ground-covering mulch during mild spells. Complete any reconstruction of the rock garden, build new paths and refill window boxes with fresh soil. During mild spells carry out any necessary pruning, such as thinning summer-flowering shrubs, cutting back invasive roots and overhanging branches and general shaping. If you have not already done so check over climber supports ensuring ties are firm and renew any loose or damaged fastenings.
Finish tidying herbaceous perennial beds and firm soil around plants to prevent frost damage to roots and crowns.
Planting
Provided the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged, deciduous trees and shrubs can be planted out. If conditions are bad, then leave them in their wrapping in a cool, frost-free place, first making sure their roots are moist. If bad weather continues then heel them in temporarily on sheltered ground until conditions improve.
Lawn Care
Lay new turf if ground conditions are suitable. Avoid walking on the lawn after heavy frosts because this can damage the grass.
Rose Garden
Plant out new rose bushes or transplant established ones when the ground and weather conditions allow. Spray with tar-oil to protect plants against pests and diseases.
Order Seeds
Order the seeds for next years planting scheme. When picking seeds for next year pick tried and tested varieties wherever possible.
Check climbers
Ensure that all stems are securely tied in.
Repair work
Maintain outbuildings, paths and stone work.
In the vegetable garden
Continue to dig over the plots and harvest leeks and parsnips as you need them.
Clearing
Clear all foliage from paths to stop slugs sheltering underneath
Topiary
Box pyramids and cones are wonderful for bringing winter structure, as are mop-head yews and hollies.
JANUARY
General Maintainance
When weather permits, dig over beds and borders for spring planting of annuals. During mild spells, prune dead or diseased branches from established deciduous trees and shrubs while they are bare. On warm, sunny days make sure that frames and greenhouses are well ventilated to prevent diseases such as botrytis (grey mould). When bulb foliage starts to appear, aerate the soil by lightly pricking around the plants with a fork. Continue with your weeding routine.
Ordering
With the New Year here, now is the time for planning any changes and improvements to the garden. Start by ordering seeds and plants for the coming season also stock up on seeds, string, summer-flowering bulbs and support canes. Buy new sowing compost if necessary.
Lawn Care
If necessary improve drainage by spiking areas of the lawn that are squelchy underfoot. Spike at 6 inch intervals and then brush in a good dressing of sharp sand, leave a light layer on top too an in the Spring the grass will root into that. Brush off leaves and worm casts, but try to keep off the lawn if it is very wet or frozen.
Prune and shape
A good job for January is to prune and shape the bare trees and shrubs. Use sharp secateurs for this. In the winter months it’s easy to see the framework of your wisteria, if you want to keep wisteria confined then shorten the side-shoots back to 2-3 buds. This will also encourage flowering.
Rose Garden
Old fashioned roses should be pruned by removing dead wood and shorten the leading shoots by a third. Hybrid tea and floribunda roses should be pruned by cutting back to the lowest outward facing bud. Planting can take place during mild, dry, frost-free periods.
Pond Care
During this, the coldest month we need to give attention to our ponds. If your pond contains fish, float a rubber or plastic ball on the surface to create a ‘breather’ hole when ice forms. If there is a snow fall on top of the ice then make sure to remove the snow because water plants may die from lack of light.
Fruit
Re-home any strawberries that you potted last summer into the greenhouse, this should bring you a full blossom and they may even produce fruit in May.
Vegetable Plot
If you are thinking ahead to next month, you can get a head start by covering a patch of soil with polythene or fleece in preparation for early February sowing. You could also start off some parsley or lettuce in pots on the windowsill for early cutting.
In the shed
Tidy and clean all your garden tools. Have your mower serviced in anticipation of the spring!
Planting
When potting up Camelias, plant in a west-facing spot this will protect the flowers from being scorched by the early morning sunshine.
Clematis, jasmine, honeysuckle, witch hazel, skimmias and daphnes are all wonderful for providing winter interest.
FEBRUARY
General Maintenance
An advantage of this time of year is that a wheelbarrow will not get stuck in the mud, a reason to be thankful for frost-hardened ground! Apply manure and other dressings to beds and borders throughout the garden. Feed your established plants with general fertiliser and mulch. Complete pruning of deciduous specimens while they are still dormant. When the ground is soft, aerate the lawn with a hollow-tined fork. If you haven’t already done so overhaul your garden machinery. Clean soiled pots and seed trays with a disinfectant, and make any necessary replacements.
Rose Garden
Continue planting roses whenever soil and weather conditions are suitable. Support any bushes that may have been damaged by winter gales. Some gardeners like to begin pruning roses during mid February rather than the usually recommended March when the garden jobs seem to increase.
Potting up
Pot up lilies into large terracotta pots.
In the vegetable plot
Really dig the ground over and dig in garden compost or leaf mould.
Plant garlic bulbs, shallots and onion sets. When planting the bulbs, remove the old brown skin from the top, otherwise the garden birds will be able to pull them out.
Bring early potatoes into sprout by placing them in a warm light place.
If you covered an area of ground with polythene more than two weeks ago, this area should now be dry and warm enough to sow out soft leaves such as lettuce, spinach and salad onions. Also vegetables such as cabbages, cauliflowers radishes, turnips broad beans and carrots.
Raspberries and soft fruit
Force rhubarb for early pickings in six to eight weeks time.
Cut well established autumn-flowering raspberries to ground level but only the tips of the canes on summer fruiting varieties. Now is also a suitable time to plant out a row of new raspberries, gooseberries or currants should you wish.
Fertilise all soft fruit with well-rotted compost or manure, or sprinkle a slow-release fertilizer around them.
Cutting Back
Now is the time to cut back any clematis that blooms between late June and late August. Cut back to the lowest sprouting buds to encourage lots of flowers on vigorous new growth.
Ponds
Try to keep ponds free of ice; this will help to encourage slug-eating frogs and toads that will soon be arriving for the breeding season.
Greenhouses
Clean the glass on both sides, improving the light quality will help germination.
