If the January weather remains cold you may find that there isn’t much you can actually do outside especially if the ground remains frozen. With Christmas now over you will have finished with your Christmas tree, remember this can be recycled by garden centres and you may find that councils will also provide a recycling service.

Your Garden Lawns
Much the same as in December it is advisable to stay off your lawn if frosty. Look to repair any damaged edges the lawn may have. If the ground isn’t frozen then you may be able to lay any turf you need to. If you have any hollows, these can be filled. Cut and folding back, fill the gap with topsoil and then fold back again.

You’re Greenhouse
Your greenhouse should be heated to around 5 degrees C. Anything below this may cause a loss of your Fuchsias and Geraniums. Cleaning your pots and seed trays is a dull but important job. This will help reduce the risk of pests in your greenhouse. In the case of heavy snow remember to clear the greenhouse to allow maximum sunlight inside.

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In this article we’re going to go over your to do list for January when it comes to taking care of your garden.

For those of you thinking that this article may be a joke, the truth is, it’s not too early to start preparing for your spring gardening. Getting a head start on some things can make your life a lot easier when the spring actually hits.

So just what can you do in January to get ready for your spring gardening chores?

The first thing is to start ordering from catalogs. There are a number of things you can get in advance like seeds so that when the spring hits you’ll already have a number of things that you need and won’t have to go around hunting them down in the busy stores that are now bustling with people starting their spring gardening.

The next thing you can do is rework your garden design. Tired of the way things are laid out? This is a good opportunity to decide just where you’re going to plant your roses this year. Maybe you’ll decide that you want to put up some small fences around a number of your plants. This is the time to get all those details out of the way so that when spring comes you’re doing more working and less thinking.

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While the snow is piling up outside, you can be busy ordering seeds and building your own square foot garden inside. January is not too early to start thinking about gardening, and if you are considering having raised beds this year, using the concept set forth in Mel Bartholomew’s new book, All New Square Foot Gardening is the best plan to adopt.

After all, who would not want to grow more in less space using a method that has been working for over 25 years all over the world and which is all organic? Building 4 x 4 raised beds, with a grid on top which separates the area into 16 distinct growing areas, is a perfect winter project.

Square Foot Gardening is for you if you are tired of traditional single-row gardening with all its hard back-breaking work, cost, and use of harsh chemicals and fertilizers. It is also for you if you are older or have disabilities and just can not do traditional gardening any longer. Starting a square foot garden now is a great option for anyone. Even kids love them.

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In early January in the greenhouse pot on the autumn-sown sweet peas taking the greatest care not to injure or disturb the delicate root nodes. Place the pots in a cold frame, but wait for a few days before watering the young plants in.

Keep the schizanthus bushy by pinching back the long shoots. Stake the plants early rather than late and treat them to fort­nightly doses of weak liquid manure.

Chrysanthemums: prepare a generous supply of rooting com­post for cuttings. A mixture of equal parts of peat and sand or John Innes Potting Compost No. 1 is suitable.

Go on taking cuttings of Large Exhibitions until the end of the month keeping the temperature steady at 10 C. (50 F.).

Cuttings of ivies can be taken now and the small variegated ivies make attractive camouflage for the rubber plant that has shed its lower leaves.

Chrysanthemum stools should now be providing cuttings. These should be taken below a leaf joint, dipped in a rooting powder, and kept close in gentle warmth (a polythene bag is helpful if the propagating box is full).

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In many parts of the country designing a garden for winter interest requires relying on plants with distinctive stems such as the ‘Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick’ or garden structures. If you live in a more temperate part of the country, you have many garden plants that bloom in the winter months which add color and interest to your winter garden.

Poppies are rapidly gaining popularity in southern climates for adding color in the garden during winter months. Although easily grown from seed, most nurseries and big box stores are beginning to stock poppies in late fall as an alternative to the traditional pansy. Poppies can easily stand nighttime temperatures dropping into the high teens. During the extremely cold months, poppies may get knocked back, but quickly recover when temperatures begin to warm.

The Lenten Rose, although not actually a rose, is a must for any winter garden, but a necessity for a southern garden. The Lenten Rose sits almost dormant during the summer months, but when temperatures begin to cool in mid fall, they begin to add new growth. The chartreuse colored new growth is the perfect complement for the dark green mature foliage. This beautiful color combination lasts throughout the winter and in early February dainty japanese lantern like flowers are added to the show. The flowers can last into early summer. Lenten Roses like part to full shade and if placed in too much sun will experience leaf scorching. Once established, Lenten Roses are easy to divide and are prolific self seeders

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On these cold January mornings the warm pursuits of summer seem very far away. It may not be pool weather yet, but January is the perfect month to start gardening. With a little planning now and a small amount of monthly yard maintenance, this summer can yield an enjoyable array of flowers and vegetables.

If gardening sounds like too much work, take a moment to consider the benefits:

-Flower beds are esthetically pleasing and increase curb appeal.
-A small vegetable garden can produce food to be enjoyed by the whole family and reduce the grocery bill.
-Composting can help reduce the amount of trash going to land fills and provide a fun family project.
-Gardening is a relaxing way to get some fresh air and lower stress.

Start by considering which flowers, fruits and vegetable are family favorites, and then do some research into the level of difficulty and climate viability. There is an abundance of gardening resources available at the local library or the Internet. The website of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has a wealth of information about gardening in Central Texas.

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Examine dahlia stems and tubers regularly and dust with sulphur if there is any suspicion of mould.

Sow sweet peas (autumn sowing in pots or peat blocks pre­ferable for early shows). Seeds sown this month will need the moderate warmth of a greenhouse until germination takes place.

Some varieties are hard skinned: soak these overnight before sowing and lightly scratch through the skin on the opposite side to the eye before planting.

Michaelmas daisies and similar characters will be found per­sistent trespassers and must be kept in place. The strong out­side growth should be retained and the tired centre discarded later on. If fine spikes are wanted for exhibition, the number of stems allowed to develop from a single root stock must be strictly limited.

A lily of the valley bed can be started in semi-shade, and leaf-mould will be appreciated.

Have you fed the freesias? They will enjoy a mild liquid feed or a light top-dressing.

Dig on – prepare a bed for the hardy chrysanthemums.

Some mice, not all, have a nasty way of damaging stems of trees and shrubs and can be kept away by rubbing stems with a strong smelling carbolic soap, or bitumen tree dressing.

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