Fruit & vegetable garden
Flower garden
Glasshouse, conservatory and houseplants
Trees, shrubs, roses, climbers and hedges
Lawns and meadows
Ponds
Wildlife gardening
Garden structures
Gardening for children
Top 10 jobs
1. Recycle your Christmas tree by shredding it for mulch
2. Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days
3. Dig over any vacant plots that have not been dug already
4. Repair and re-shape lawn edges
5. Inspect stored tubers of Dahlia, Begonia and Canna for rots or drying out
6. Prune apple and pear trees
7. Start forcing rhubarb
8. Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming season
9. Keep putting out food and water for hungry birds
10. Prepare a polythene shelter for outdoor peaches and nectarines, to protect them from peach leaf curl
January's weather
Glossary of terms
ClocheEarthing-up
Forcing
Soil improver or soil conditioner
Fruit and vegetable garden
Fruit
Prune established open-ground apple and pear trees (not cordons, espaliers or fans).
Formative pruning of young, free standing, fruit trees and bushes (under three years old) can also be done now. They should at first be pruned to encourage branching and bushiness from the main stem. Subsequently, they should be encouraged to form an open-centred ‘goblet’ shape of main branches, without any being misplaced or crossing.
Consider renovating old apple and pear trees if the quality and flavour of the fruit is worth the effort.
Cut down, and remove the stumps of old or worn out fruit trees that are not worth renovating.
Currants and gooseberries can be pruned now. The main priority with gooseberries and red and white currants, is to prune back the laterals that fruited last year to a couple of buds from the main branches. Blackcurrants do best when one-third to a half of all the older branches are removed from the base each year, to keep a good proportion of young, vigorous growth. A good source of further advice is RHS Pruning and Training, 1996, Dorling Kindersley; ISBN 1 4053 0073 6.
If you did not prune and train your summer-fruiting raspberries earlier in the season, then you can still do it now - you will be better able to see what you are doing once the leaves have fallen. Old fruited canes should be cut to ground level and removed. New canes (which will provide fruit later this year) should be tied in to the supports in a well-spaced fashion. This will make picking easier, and will allow you to keep the coming season’s new growth separate from its fruiting canes.
Hardwood cuttings can be taken this month, using material removed during pruning. This is a great way to propagate blackcurrants, redcurrants, white currants and gooseberries. Only use disease-free plants for propagation.
This is a good time to plant new fruit bushes and trees - as long as the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
Spread your remaining garden compost and organic matter over the ground - this will improve the soil next spring and will also leave your compost bin vacant for debris in the new growing season. Or mulch fruit trees, bushes and canes with organic matter.
Check tree stakes, ties and guards while doing your winter pruning. They may need loosening, replacing, or removing.
Place cloches over strawberry plants that were planted last summer, or bring potted ones into the greenhouse or conservatory. The extra warmth will give you an earlier crop.
Pest & disease watch
Be sure to remove any dead or diseased wood from apples and pears, including spurs with mummified fruit from brown rot infections earlier in the season.
Also check for cankers.
Apply fatty acid-based winter washes to dormant fruit trees to control overwintering eggs of aphid, apple sucker and scale insect.
Erect a clear polythene rainproof cover over wall-trained peaches from January to April to prevent problems with peach leaf curl. Do not let the cover touch the plant and ensure it is in contact with the soil.
You may also need to spray outdoor peaches against peach leaf curl, if this has been a problem in previous years.
Net or cage tree and soft fruit crops, if you have not already done so, to reduce pigeon damage and keep bullfinches off fruit buds. Cages can be removed once flowering starts.
Renew your grease bands, if they have been in place a long time, to protect trees against winter moths.
Place mouse controls near your fruit stores.
Regularly check fruit stores, and remove any rotting or mouldy specimens.
Vegetables
Harvest sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts, leeks and Jerusalem artichokes.
Parsnips, swede, celeriac and turnips can still be harvested, if this has not been done already. Parsnips improve in flavour with a touch of frost, but other root vegetables are better harvested earlier in the winter, so that they are safe from frost and easily accessible from the kitchen. They can be stored in the shed, or in a shallow trench, covered to protect it from frost.
Clear remaining spent crops from the vegetable garden.
Stake or earth up any Brussels sprouts stalks that look leggy and vulnerable to wind rock. Pick the biggest sprouts from low down the stalks first.
Start forcing rhubarb. Place a large bucket, dustbin or forcing jar over the crown to encourage the fresh, pink shoots to form in the darkness. A few shovels of manure, straw and poultry manure pellets thrown over the top will create extra warmth to speed up the process.
Chicory and seakale can be forced as well. Dig up selected chicory roots, pot them up, and position them in a dark warm place (10-13°C/50-55°F), with an upturned pot over them. The tasty chicons will appear in three to six weeks. Seakale is best forced outside at seasonal temperatures, with an upturned pot or cardboard box/tube over the top to exclude the light.
In mild areas, sow broad beans in pots, placing them in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. These will be ready for planting out in spring.
Other crops can also be germinated in pots on the windowsill, and then grown on in the greenhouse for planting out in February. This should result in early crops next year. Lettuces, summer brassicas (e.g. cabbages and cauliflowers), radishes, tiny round carrots, spinach, salad onions and turnips are all suitable.
Onions from seed need a long growing season, and you could sow them now in a heated propagator, for planting out in March. This is how exhibition growers manage to get large bulbs for shows.
The mildest south-west regions of the country could get away with sowing seed directly into the ground - if the winter is mild, and the ground has been covered for the previous few weeks. Tunnel cloches or polythene sheeting are ideal covers. Lettuces, radishes, early peas, broad beans, spinach and salad onions could work from such early sowings.
Plan a rotation system for vegetable plots to ensure the same crops are not grown in the same beds year after year to help prevent disease build-up.
If you have not done so already, dig over and incorporate soil improvers into vacant areas of the vegetable plot. You can cover these areas with thick polythene to keep the soil dry and make it easier to work in the spring - particularly useful for heavy clay soils. Clear polythene will increase the soil temperature, enabling earlier sowings in spring. Black polythene and thick carpet will suppress weeds.
If the weather is reliably dry and frosty, then heavy soils can benefit from being left exposed - the frosts will kill pests and improve soil structure by the continual freezing and thawing of soil water.
Save egg boxes as they will come in handy for potato chitting next month. Source your seed potatoes if you have not already done so.
When gardening on wet soils work from a plank of wood, rather than treading on the bed, to avoid compacting the soil.
Improve the drainage of heavy soils by working in lots of organic matter. Grit will only be effective when used in conjunction with organic matter.
Pest & disease watch
Place mice controls near stored vegetables.
Regularly check stores and remove any rotting or mouldy specimens.
Ensure that crops remaining in the ground, and new sowings under cloches, are protected from mice.
Slugs can still pose a threat, and slug controls are necessary now, as always.
Pigeons are serious pests of brassicas and other vegetables. Cloches, frames of netting or fleece, and metal cages will help to keep them away from vulnerable crops.
Pick yellowing leaves off Brussels sprouts and other brassicas promptly, to prevent spread of grey mould and brassica downy mildew.
Remove all remaining plant debris from the vegetable plot. Do not compost any diseased material such as blight-infected potatoes, onions suffering from white rot and any crops with rust. Burn or bin the diseased material, or bury it more than 60cm (24in) deep in the ground.
Digging over the soil in winter exposes soil pests to frost and bird predators.
Attracting wildlife to your garden (see wildlife gardening section below) can help to control pest problems for next year.
Flower garden
Cut off old leaves of hellebores that produce flowers from ground level (including Helleborus x hybridus and H. niger) to expose the flowers and remove possible foliar diseases such as hellebore leaf spot.
Hellebore blooms can look unsightly when splashed with muddy raindrops. Bark chip mulch will reduce this splashing effect, and cloches can be used where practical.
Cut away some Iris unguicularis leaves to expose the flowers.
Start cutting back grasses and other perennials left for winter interest.
Clear up any weedy beds ready for mulching in the spring.
Ensure protective straw or fleece is still in place on tender plants overwintering outdoors.
Sow seeds of Begonia, Lobelia, Salvia and Pelargonium in a heated greenhouse or propagator to provide early plants. Begonia seeds need light to germinate, so do not cover them; 21°C (70°F) is the ideal temperature. Lobelias need 15°C (59°F). Salvias are best at 16-18°C (61-64°F). Pelargoniums prefer 18°C (59°F). John Innes seed compost, covered with a fine layer of vermiculite (begonias excepted), is a good growing medium. Starting the seeds off early will ensure they get the length of growing season they need to produce flowers in the first year after sowing.
Sweet peas can be sown this month, inside a heated propagator, in long tubes filled with compost (toilet and kitchen rolls make good tubes). Some varieties need chitting (nicking of the seed coat), and/or soaking, in order to germinate well. A cool room or sheltered cold frame is fine - no extra heat is required.
Sweet peas sown earlier in the autumn can now be potted on - a 9cm (3.5in) pot per plant is recommended. Place them on a sunny windowsill, or on a high shelf in the greenhouse that gets plenty of light.
In mild areas, and during dry spells, you can still lift and divide herbaceous perennials. This will increase stocks, and revive tired or poorly flowering clumps.
Plant lily bulbs in pots and in borders during mild spells.
Collect leaves that have blown over alpine beds as these plants are easily smothered. They may need careful picking over to remove all debris. Bare patches can be covered with gritty compost.
This is the last chance to sow seeds that need frost in order to germinate (such as native tree and shrub seeds, and alpine plants). If you find you have missed the frosts, then you can always stratify seeds in the fridge. Sowings of alpine plants need protection from winter rainfall - a sheet of glass, or clear polythene stretched over a wooden frame would do.
Root cuttings can be taken now. Papaver (perennial poppies), Verbascum (mullein), Acanthus and Phlox are suitable examples.
In cold spells, protect non frost-proof containers (terracotta pots for example) with bubble wrap, hessian or fleece, to prevent them cracking. Grouping the pots close to a south-facing wall may provide additional protection to the most vulnerable ones.
Keep tubs and containers tidy, cutting back and removing debris regularly. They can be mulched with compost or grit. Grit is aesthetically pleasing, and will reduce the surface puddling that can occur when light composts are beaten into a solid ‘cap’ by raindrops.
Raise patio containers onto feet or bricks, if you have not done so already, to avoid them sitting in the wet.
Some pots - particularly those sheltered by eaves or balconies - may need watering. Check the compost (at a hand’s depth) to see if it feels dry. Aim to keep pots moist (not too wet), and do not let them dry out.
Even in mild areas, tender plants that cannot be left outside with protection should really be taken into the greenhouse or conservatory by the beginning of this month. Winter generally gets colder from the beginning of January. In cold areas, you are best moving things inside much earlier, in the autumn.
Order catalogues for spring planting of summer-flowering bulbs, bedding and herbaceous perennials.
Stock up on store cupboard items such as string, stakes and canes for use later in the year.
When gardening on wet soils work from a plank of wood rather than treading on the bed to avoid compacting the soil.
Improve the drainage of heavy soils by working in organic matter. Grit is only effective when used in combination with organic matter.
Pest & disease watch
Hellebore leaf spot can be a problem on old foliage of hellebores. Cutting back the old leaves should control the problem, and allow the flowers and new growth to be better seen.
Keep alpine houses well ventilated. Remove dead leaves from around basal rosettes to prevent rotting.
Inspect stored tubers of plants such as Dahlia and Canna for signs of drying out. Although care is needed to prevent dampness and rots occurring, it is important not to let the tubers become bone dry, or they will become useless.
Protect new sweet pea plants from aphids.
Check autumn-sown sweet peas growing in cold frames, and apply mouse and slug controls if necessary.
Watch out for downy mildew and black spot on winter pansies. Remove any infected leaves and destroy badly affected plants. To avoid the build up of diseases, it is best not to plant pansies in the same place year after year.
Look out for rots (such as crown rot, sclerotinia, delphinum black blotch and black root rot) on died down perennials, especially if you are on a clay soil or poorly-drained ground. These diseases can overwinter in soil debris, and then re-attack next year’s growth. Quick removal of affected growth can contain the problem, but sometimes re-planting in another area is the only effective control.
Be aware that many diseases will overwinter in the soil, or on plant debris. antirrhinum rust and delphinum black blotch, as well as sclerotinia, will lay dormant and re-infect plants when they come up the following year. It may be necessary to replant new specimens in another place if the problem is severe.
Check stored bulbs for signs of rot, and remove affected bulbs before the problem spreads.
Greenhouse, conservatory and houseplants
Water houseplants sparingly. Most should be barely moist in winter.
Check that light levels are sufficient for houseplants. They will need light to carry on over the winter, and can easily be forgotten in a back or spare room that receives little natural light, or with the curtains left drawn. They are best moved to sunny windowsill until March.
Don't leave houseplants on windowsills behind the curtains on frosty nights, especially if your windows are not double glazed.
Indoor forced bulbs that were in the house for Christmas displays, but which have now finished flowering, can be left outside in a sheltered spot in the garden, to finish dying down.
Support bulb flower spikes with canes (if necessary).
Cut back leggy Hypoestes (polka dot plant), Pilea (aluminium plant), Coleus and Tradescantia to encourage new growth.
If your Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata and S. x buckleyi) failed to set flower buds, it may be that the temperature is too high (above 18°C/65°F, or that the plant is receiving light from an artificial light source after dark. Try moving the cactus into cooler conditions or away from night lighting.
Encourage bushy growth on Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera truncata and S. x buckleyi) by twisting off outer segments from the most vigorous shoots after flowering. These can be used as cuttings if dried and kept warm for a week before potting up.
Maintain a minimum of 5°C (41°F) to prevent Fuchsia, Pelargonium and other tender plants being killed by the cold. Higher temperatures will be needed for tropical plants.
Fuchsias can be started into active growth by re-potting, increasing watering, feeding (with a slow-release fertiliser such as fish blood and bone), and putting them in a sunny place.
Remember that cacti need very little water, and no feeding, over the winter. Keep them barely moist until the spring, when they will be coming up to flowering and will therefore appreciate extra water and feed.
Clivia benefit similarly from a dormant period over winter, with less watering, feeding, and lower light levels.
Pot up Hippeastrum (amaryllis) bulbs, and bring them into active growth with regular watering and feeding. They should give you beautiful flowers for the late winter/early spring.
Cyclamen persicum appreciates a cool room with good light. It is best watered from below (i.e. into the saucer, not the pot), as wetting the leaves can easily result in fungal infections and rotting off.
Cool conditions and regular watering will help keep potted indoor azaleas looking good for longer. Remember to water azaleas with rainwater collected in a rain butt, not with tap water.
Avoid buying poinsettias that have been accidentally chilled, particularly those sold from street stalls on cold days. Once home, place poinsettias in a warm, light place, away from draughts, to ensure they last for as long as possible.
Place hyacinths in a cool, bright place in the home. If it's too warm, the leaves will elongate and the flowers will fade quickly.
Check that greenhouse heaters are functioning properly, by investing in a maximum-minimum thermometer to enable accurate monitoring of greenhouse temperatures.
Check your greenhouse insulation to make sure it is still secure.
Remove snow from greenhouse and conservatory roofs, to prevent damage and to allow good light penetration.
Clear leaves and twigs from guttering on greenhouses and sheds.
Pest & disease watch
Regularly pick over plants and sweep up fallen debris, to prevent disease appearing and spreading.
Keep an eye out for overwintering pests such as whitefly or red spider mite, and treat accordingly. Nooks and crannies, and the bark of woody houseplants and vines, can harbour mealybugs and scale insect nymphs.
Ventilating the greenhouse on mild sunny days will help to reduce fungal infections.
This is a good time to clean all your old pots and seed trays, so that they are ready for next spring’s flurry of activity. Thorough cleaning will reduce pest and disease problems, and will reduce your propagation and sowing problems. A Citrox solution will clean well, without unpleasant odour or toxicity to plants.
If leaves on Cyclamen start to turn yellow, this may be a sign of overwatering. Keep them in a cool, well-lit place. Water from below (into the saucer), and allow the plant to drink for up to half an hour before pouring away the excess water left in the saucer.
Look out for cyclamen grey mould.
Trees, shrubs, climbers, roses and hedges
Continue to plant bareroot deciduous hedging plants and trees. Stakes should be put in place before the rootball to avoid damage to the roots.
Plant roses, but avoid areas where roses were previously grown as this can lead to problems with replant diseases.
Move established deciduous trees and shrubs, provided the ground is not frozen or waterlogged.
Check tree ties and stakes on established plants. Replace, tighten or slacken them where necessary.
Firm back newly planted trees and shrubs if they have been lifted by frost heave or strong winds.
Protect newly planted trees, hedges and shrubs from cold winds and frosts, which can loosen and lift the roots. Gently re-firm them in if you notice this problem, and erect a temporary netting windbreak if there is no natural shelter. Thick dry mulches will protect the roots from cold, and branches can be covered with fleece, or even packed with dry straw and then covered with fleece, for tender plants. A wooden frame with clear polythene stretched over it does a similar job for evergreens without blocking the light, but don’t let the polythene touch the leaves, as condensation could freeze or cause rots.
Packing the branches of tender deciduous trees and shrubs with straw or bracken, and securing this with fleece and ties, will protect them from frost.
Remove weeds from around the bases of young trees.
Take hardwood cuttings of ornamental shrubs such as Cornus, Salix, Forsythia, Weigela, Escallonia, Rosa, Ribes, Chaenomeles and Elaeagnus. Many deciduous climbers can also be propagated in this way (e.g. Fallopia and Lonicera).
Check hardwood cuttings taken last year. They may need planting out or potting on.
Seeds of berrying trees and shrubs can still be sown - but be quick, as they need a period of frost to break their dormancy. Examples are Sorbus, Cotoneaster and Pernettya.
If there is snow in your area, then you may need to brush it off the branches of conifers, climbers and light-limbed shrubs and trees. Heavy snowfall can splay branches, break limbs and spoil the shape of the tree.
Pruning and renovation of many deciduous trees, shrubs and hedges can be carried out from now throughout the dormant season. It is easier to see what you are doing when the branches have no leaves. Suitable examples are: Fagus (beech), Corylus (hazel) and roses. Exceptions are evergreens and tender plants (best left until spring), and Prunus species (e.g. ornamental cherries, plums and almonds) as these are vulnerable to silver leaf when pruned in autumn or winter.
If your trees are too large for you to manage the pruning alone, then you may need a tree surgeon. Otherwise take care not to damage the tree when sawing off thicker branches.
Prune Wisteria - cut back the sideshoots shortened by summer pruning to two or three buds. Avoid cutting off flower buds.
Tie wall shrubs and climbers onto their supports to protect them from wind damage.
Ornamental vines, ivy, Virginia creeper and Boston ivy can be cut back now – it’s a good idea to keep them away from windows, doors, gutters and roof tiles.
Take note of the most colourful dogwoods (Cornus), Salix and white-stemmed Rubus shrubs when visiting gardens open to the public, or in garden centres, and consider planting them yourself for a winter display.
Pest & disease watch
Put rabbit guards around newly planted trees and shrubs to protect the bark from rabbit damage.
Inspect sick looking box and holly trees for signs of blight.
Phytophthora root rots can cause dieback on mature trees and shrubs. Wet winter weather and poorly drained soils are likely to encourage this problem on susceptible woody plants.
Coral spot is often noticed once the leaves have fallen from deciduous hedges, shrubs and trees. This problem can be connected with poor ventilation and congested, un-pruned twiggy growth (as found inside clipped hedges).
Bracket fungus on trees is visible at this time of year. If the tree is in poor health it is worth calling in a tree surgeon for a professional opinion.
Check for damage or cankers on deciduous trees while stems and trunks are readily visible. Prune out torn or damaged branches to prevent disease infection.
Lawns and meadows
Repair lawn edges, especially around flower and shrub beds, to crisp up the appearance of the garden, and save work next season.
This may be your last chance to get the lawnmower serviced in time for early spring mowing.
New turf can be laid if the weather is mild and the ground is not frozen. Work from planks when laying the turf, to avoid compaction.
Troubleshooting
Mole activity will increase in January and February due to mating and nest (fortress) building. Remove the largest hills and re-firm before overseeding in spring.
Keep brushing away worm casts, as they can be troublesome at this time of year.
Repair lawn edges or patches with turves cut from other areas of the garden.
If the weather is mild, then you can repair hollows and bumps in the lawn by making an ‘H’ shaped cut in the turf, peeling back the grass, and either filling the hollow with loam, or scraping away the soil from a bump. Then re-lay the turf, press it into place and pinch the cut edges together.
Avoid walking on lawns on frosty mornings. It can damage the grass and often leads to brown footprint-shaped marks.
Watch your lawn for signs of waterlogging, as the weather gets wetter. If you missed the opportunity to carry out autumn lawn maintenance, then you can still remedy the situation a bit, by spiking the lawn with a garden fork or mechanical aerator. Then fill the holes with a mixture of sharp sand and loam, brushed in using a stiff broom.
If your lawn suffers dieback from treading during the wet, muddy season, then you may wish to lay stepping-stones through it to allow easy access across it without causing damage. Stones can be laid at a low enough level to avoid interference with mowing.
Fusarium patch (snow mould) may be a problem in wet weather, particularly on overfed and lush lawns that have been left a bit too long.
Algae can be a problem on lawns where there is poor drainage, excessive shade, or under the drip-line of trees.
Ponds
Regularly shake leaves off nets over ponds.
Rake out fallen leaves from un-netted ponds.
Use pond heaters to keep ponds from freezing over. If you do not have a pond heater, there are other precautions to prevent freezing over, such as placing floats on the surface of the water.
Monitor the water level of your pond, as hard frosts can cause defects in the liner and in concrete structures.
Troubleshooting
Make a hole in frozen ponds by holding a saucepan of hot water on the surface until it has melted through. Do not crack the ice, as this is harmful to fish.
If the water level of your pond drops considerably after a hard frost, then it may have developed a leak. Be sure to keep it topped up until repairs can be carried out in the spring.
Wildlife gardening
Jobs for the month
- Hang bird feeders and put out food on the ground and bird table
- Make sure the bird bath is topped up and not frozen
- Regularly clean the bird bath and table
- Make sure the pond does not freeze over
- Coppice and/or pollard trees such as hazel and goat willow
- Plant berrying deciduous trees - a mixture of native and non-natives works well
- Put out food for hedgehogs
- Make a log and/or rock pile to create areas of shelter for wildlife
- Plan and dig a wildlife pond
- Build a compost bin for the coming spring
- Plan a wild flower meadow for spring sowing or planting
- Buy or make a bee nesting box
Birds
Many birds can be seen in the garden this month - common ones such as blackbirds, thrushes, tits and robins, but also redwings and siskins that stray into the suburbs for a bit of warmth and shelter, and migrant flocks of fieldfares.
Many of the berries, seeds and natural food sources that birds rely on have been exhausted by this stage in the winter. Feeding the birds in your garden therefore becomes even more important.
Hang bird feeders if you have not had them out already. They are particularly attractive to tits, sparrows and (less commonly) siskins. There are many models available, designed to help keep out rats, cats, pigeons and squirrels, or to fit onto walls, windows, windowsills and balconies.
Hanging the bird feeder over a paved or decked area, which can be swept clear of debris regularly, may help to reduce problems with rats, if they prove a nuisance.
It is fine to leave chunks of food out on a bird table at this time of year, as there is no risk of over-large pieces being fed to the fledglings, which can cause problems during the breeding season. Robins, starlings and many others will use this resource - fatty titbits like seeds, nuts, cheese, meat scraps and cooking fat will be appreciated. A smashed coconut would do. Stale bread or cake should be soaked in water before putting them out, to make them easier for birds to swallow.
Do not use salted or coated nuts, and only use those sold for human consumption or those labelled with the Birdfood Standards Seal of Approval. Nuts that have been poorly packaged or stored could contain aflatoxin, which is poisonous to birds and humans.
Specialist bird food suppliers often sell live mealworms and fat balls at this time of year. A budget option is to hang pieces of bacon from strings tied to tree branches. Alternatively, you can make your own fat balls by mixing lard with nut, scraps, porridge oats and dried fruit in a ratio of one part fat to two parts dry food. The greater the variety of food that you supply in your garden, the greater variety of birds you will see.
Blackbirds, thrushes, redwings and fieldfares will eat food from the ground - windfalls or rotten fruits from winter supplies are ideal.
Some woodpeckers (the greater and the lesser spotted woodpecker) will use a home-made hanging log feeder. A rotten log, with holes in it filled with suet, can be suspended from a tree branch, to mimic the natural feeding habitat of woodpeckers.
Urban gardens are often particularly attractive to birds during cold weather because of the warmth stored inside cities.
A bird bath can be a vital source of drinking water for birds during the winter. Keep yours topped up, and kept free of ice. Models are now available that attach to windows, walls and sills.
Although risk is still deemed to be low outside of the poultry industry, anyone interested in birds in their garden will be concerned about bird flu’ (see www.rspb.org.uk or the Defra website). Good hygiene is key to reducing risk. Changing the water in bird baths regularly, scrubbing them out with a special detergent (available from bird food suppliers), and making sure that wild bird droppings are not allowed to accumulate on lawns or surfaces, will help to prevent the disease spreading. Obviously, if you keep pet birds or chickens, you are advised to keep them completely separate from potential contact with wild birds, and to mind your own hygiene before and after handling them, wearing suitable protective clothing that is kept solely for the task.
Insects
Remember that insects are gardeners’ friends as well as foes! They are natural pest controllers, and will keep each other’s populations down to manageable levels once your garden has got back into a natural balance.
Bee homes are now widely available. Initial reports suggest that nesting boxes for colony-forming bees (such as bumble and honey bees) are not always effective, but homes for solitary bees (such as mason bees), made from tubes and tunnels in boxes, are more successful. They are also attractive. Models with a backing are more successful than those open at both ends. This kind of bee house is easy to make at home. Even a tin can filled with straws will do the job. South-facing positions, hanging at chest height or above, are best. Bees usually colonise these homes in spring, hibernating overwinter to emerge the following spring. The boxes can be left out over winter, or taken down and stored in a safe place to avoid bees being eaten by predators.
Mammals, reptiles and amphibians
Hedgehogs can emerge from hibernation for a quick food foray during mild spells, before returning to their hiding place when temperatures drop back near freezing. Hedgehog and badger food is now available for sale. It is not a good idea to feed hedgehogs with bread and milk, as this is not their natural diet. Dog food is an alternative.
Foxes are usually seen in the garden even more than usual at this time of year, foraging for slugs and beetles, or rummaging in rubbish bins. Muntjac deer will also venture more frequently into gardens in the depths of winter.
Plants for wildlife
This month is your last opportunity to coppice trees in your garden. Coppicing is an ancient technique developed to produce regular supplies of wood. It is useful today in small gardens because it limits the size of the tree, turning it into a multi-stemmed shrub. Coppicing provides shelter for wildlife near eye level, and lets more light through to the under-storey plants than would a mature tree. Bulbs and ground cover plants are therefore more likely to flourish under coppiced trees than under large specimens. The young leaves on coppiced trees provide valuable breeding grounds for butterflies (e.g. the pearl-bordered fritillary, which breeds in areas of coppiced hazel).
Pollarding is a similar technique, but maintains a single trunk, the cutting back being done to a higher baseline.
If you are planting new trees, shrubs and perennials, it is a good idea to mix in some native plants with the more exotic or cultivated specimens. Although many insects will happily feed and breed on a selection of plants (native or otherwise), others are fussier, and prefer natives, particularly when it comes to breeding. A wide diversity of plants will encourage a wide diversity of insects, and this is likely to be the best recipe for a rich mix of mammals, amphibians and birds in your garden.
General
Put out log and twig piles made from old prunings and felled trees. These provide valuable shelter for wildlife, and can be made into attractive features by planting up with ferns, primroses, or other suitable plants. A site well away from the house should ensure that unwanted creepy crawlies do not stray into domestic rooms.
Piles of slabs or rockery stones will act as a suitable wildlife habitat, as will old bales of straw, hay or prunings.
Corrugated iron or plastic laid on the soil can provide ‘tunnel’ hiding places for small reptiles and mammals looking for shelter and warmth.
You may wish to identify a suitable part of the garden to leave untouched as a wildlife area. A small patch behind a shed is perfectly fine if you’re worried about it looking untidy.
You could plan and dig a wildlife pond before the spring arrives, and the garden gets busier.
Now could be a good time to build a compost heap or a leafmould pen, if you do not have these in your garden already. They will be ready for all the debris produced by the new growing season.
You may wish to plan a wildflower meadow for the spring. Now is a good time to start preparing the ground. You will need to create a seedbed if you wish to sow wild flower seed. Annual cornflower seed mixes give an instant display in the first year. Perennial seeds take two years to flower, and may be less dramatic in appearance. An alternative is to spray a weedkiller containing glyphosate, in patches on the existing grass. Plug plants can then be sourced to grow on and plant into the ‘holes’. This will only work where the existing grass is not too vigorous. Ryegrasses can overwhelm many meadow flowers. Another option is to over-seed areas of ryegrass with yellow rattle. This annual is a parasite of grass, gradually weakening it, and hopefully self-seeding from year to year. It can be sown directly onto the grass.
Garden structures
Ensure all stand pipes and irrigation lines are drained to avoid damage from water freezing in them.
Put lagging around outdoor taps to prevent freezing and to enable use throughout the winter.
Wash out your old pots; use a product such as Citrox, to reduce bacterial and fungal spores without causing toxicity to plants.
In dry spells, you can treat timber structures, including garden furniture, with wood preservative and stain. Only do this in a well-ventilated space, to reduce the risks to your lungs and eyes. Make sure you use appropriate products - creosote (for example) is no longer legal.
Check and repair pergolas and arches if needed.
Now is a good time to consider installing garden lighting, water pipes and drainage.
Add lights and power points to sheds and outhouses, so that you can garden on wet days and in the evenings.
Garden contractors are often short of work in winter and therefore available to do major tasks such as paving, fence building and pond digging.
Take action to remove algae from paths if they start to become slippery.
Make a cold frame as a winter DIY project - you can save lots of money, as good cold frames are very expensive to buy.
Gardening for children
As well as being able to take part in many of the above activities, here are some extras especially for them.
Children may enjoy gathering material for hardwood cuttings from Cornus (dogwood), Salix (willow) and fruit bushes such as currants and gooseberries. This can be made into a fun group activity, first ‘cutting down the shrub’ and then planting the cut material afresh. Children trustworthy with cutting tools can prune and trim the cuttings material under supervision, ensuring both hands are on the handles at all times. Long-handled tools (such as loppers) are safer than short-handled ones (such as secateurs). Younger children can gather up the sticks into a pile, and the more observant ones can lay them out with the top and bottom ends aligned, learning to notice which way the buds point to distinguish the top from bottom. An assembly line can be formed in the potting shed, trimming, dipping the ends in hormone rooting compound, filling pots with gritty compost, and finally striking the cuttings under supervision.
Sow sweet peas under cover - the large seeds are easy for little fingers to handle.
Bubble wrap is great fun and a useful insulator for terracotta pots at risk from frost. Children may enjoy wrapping pots in bubble wrap, popping some bubbles along the way. They can be introduced to the idea that plants need protection and care, and may feel the cold just as we do. Older children will appreciate that clay may crack because water expands in freezing weather (remember what happens when you leave a glass bottle of water or milk in the freezer?).