Flower Tasks for January
On growing and arranging this month
This morning we’ve woken to a silent thick blanket of snow and a very pretty sunrise. The last time it snowed like this was 2023 and I’m not sure it lasted very long at all. Forecasts predict very low temperatures and more wintery weather. There is absolutely nothing to do outside for the flowers now!
If it has snowed for you too, it might be worth it to nip outside and knock off drifts or piles of snow on shrubs, especially on evergreens that can collect quite a bit. This will lay heavily, especially if it freezes, breaking branches. Other than that, today, on twelfth night, I will remove Christmas decorations from our rented tree and drag the sledge of our childhood out from beneath it, where it sat in whimsical festive style, and actually use it as it was originally intended!
I make more or less lists every year, I am still finalising mine for 2026 but this from wondered.life seems particularly appropriate for the last day of the school holidays!
Happy Snow Day!
What to do in January
Very Little
Deeply into Wintering, I’m enjoying melting into the sofa. This also involves piles of cook and garden books around me for inspiration. Thinking. I do some of my best thinking, sorting out and planning in January.
Pruning
Choose a mild day to prune. Some of my favourite garden tasks are fruit tree and wisteria training this month. With no leaves, the frameworks can be seen clearly. Don’t go too hard on an apple but cut back to two fruiting buds on a mature tree. Hard pruning in winter will stimulate those lengthy straight water shoots that don’t benefit the shape or fruiting. For wisterias and grapevines, cut back side shoots and stems to a strong structure. Cut out congested stems. I just love the shapes of deciduous climbers like these in the winter.
Good pruning rules -
a. Always use sharp secateurs.
b. Cut out rubbing or crossing branches
c. Prune out dead wood.
d. Lightly prune older, thicker wood and hard prune new growth (to encourage).
Mid way renovating a neglected wisteria Hellebores
If not done already, cut back any old leaves on these plants and allow the new ones to emerge with the flowers.
Dahlias
If you lifted yours, check on them in storage. Throw out any that are soft and rotten and prevent the rest of your stock going the same way. This is a great month to choose new plants and this is a handy guide to doing so.
Dahlias fully blackened. If left in situ, cut back and mulch with a bucket of compost or dried leaves, straw, anything that will protect the crowns from water running down the cut hollow stems. Sweet Peas
About the only floral task to do this month! Soak seeds for a few hours if you can or simply sow straight into root trainers in a multipurpose compost - push seeds down to about the depth of your first knuckle. Water well. You can cover to encourage them through but I don’t bother. Keep damp. They’ll emerge within the fortnight and flower early.
For inspiration (I say this in the style of Madonna ..anyone?) oh to be cutting those right now! More Seed sowing?
I caution you not to sow unless you have lots of space for growing under cover, heat, light and know exactly where plants are going and when! All of this would make you a total pro. Take your nod from what plants are doing outside and let them be. There is plenty of time. That now would be better spent looking back at your photos (you did take photos of your beds last year didn’t you?), thinking about what flowers you want on your table and when.
If you don’t know, join me this month when I will be starting this years cut flower planning course right here. I’ll be gently guiding you through my process from inspirational long wish lists right through to brilliant combinations, sowing lists, schedules and how to plot where they’ll go. This is for anyone that wants to be a little more intentional about their flower growing this year, and plan combinations of flowers to cut whenever they want. Or for a specific event, like a party or wedding. They’ll be homework set and online live video tutoring and time for questions. I’d love you to join me!
There is much to enjoy of bright blue skies of a crisp January day as well as those misty cold ones, where fog lingers over fallen beds of grasses, last year’s flower heads and cobwebs woven between uptight stems and shrubs almost holding planting up together. It is a truly beautiful time of the year; but the gardeners hand offers little benefit this month.
Harvesting
Shrubs take centre stage - some of my favourites are in flower right now;
Shrubs - Sarcoccoca (cut just a stem or two for indoors, heaven), lonicera ‘winter beauty’, Daphne, Viburnum sinus & v. burkwoodii, winter jasmine. For trees, Pussy Willow and Prunus Autumnalis.
Perennials - Hellebores, cyclamen.
Bulbs - Forced Narcissus indoors, amaryllis and first snowdrops outdoors.
Dried Flowers - Including my favourite honesty (also dahlias, cornflowers, achillea… Bex Partridge is your go to for drying flowers)
I write about, teach, design and work in productive and sustainable gardens. For subscriber only posts on all the above and inspirational ideas to go out and do the same in your own space, join me as a paid subscriber.
I always love your January posts - you make a quiet time sound like the very best thing in the world! I used to really dislike deep winter until I started growing cut flowers. Now I love it for the space it affords, and the planning, and the relishing of daylight x
inspiring as always, also love the dried flower link you added. Thanks Annax