Plants in Bloom this month?
INFORMATION COMING SOON!
INFORMATION COMING SOON!
INFORMATION COMING SOON!
INFORMATION COMING SOON!
Mid Winter
General Tasks and Maintenance
- Send gardening tools and lawnmowers to be maintained/serviced/sharpened ready for the new season.
- Insulate cold frames to allow for extra protection against cold weather.
- Draw up a gardening plan ready for the new year and make preparations for purchasing plants and seeds.
- Order compost, stakes, obelisks and canes.
Mid Winter
Houseplants
- Keep plants warm with plenty of sunlight.
- Water irregularly
- Only feed houseplants if they are flowering or growing strong.
Mid Winter
Gardens and in the Garden
Patio areas
- Move containers to a sheltered area to give protection.
- Plant trees and shrubs in containers when the weather permits.
Mid Winter
Kitchen Garden
Fruit
- Inspect any fruit that has been stored and discard any that has rotted.
- Continue with the planting of fruit trees during suitable weather.
- Continue with any pruning and ensuring plants are securely staked and tied up.
- Take cuttings for blackcurrants.
- Plant rhubarb and spread with manure covering the crowns. Force the rhubarb by placing boxes on top to encourage growth.
- Bring Strawberry pots into the greenhouse.
- In the greenhouse – plant peaches, apricots, nectarines and grapevines. Be aware that fruit trees prefer unheated greenhouse conditions which may conflict with other plants in the greenhouse which will require heat during the Winter months.
Vegetables
- In the South, sow broad beans for an early crop or under cloches / in the greenhouse in other areas.
- In the South, an early crop of shallots can be planted.
- Order onion sets and shallots.
- Test soil and add lime if your soil requires it.
- Sow varieties of carrot, lettuce and french beans that are best suited to be sown under glass.
- Sow Cauliflower and Cabbage in a heated propagator.
- Lettuce that has been sown in October, plant out in borders or grow bags.
- Pot up and force Chicory.
- Harvest Carrot, Chicory, Lettuce, Radish, Potatoes and Mushrooms.
- Tomatoes can be sown in the latter days of the month in a propagator within a warm greenhouse. These can then be planted out in early March to allow for a June crop.
Herbs
- Plan your herb garden for the new year. Choose a sunny site that is south facing.
- Order seeds ready for Spring.
Mid Winter
Trees, Shrubs and Hedges
Trees and Shrubs
- If you have received shrubs from nurseries during the bad weather, store in a frost-free shed. Plant when the weather improves.
- Shake off heavy snowfall off trees and shrubs to prevent them from being damaged by the weight of the snow.
- Sow camellia, ginkgo and Liriodendron in the greenhouse at 16 degrees centigrade.
- Prune any diseased or dead parts of shrubs and trees.
In the Greenhouse
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Hedges
- Plant deciduous hedging during the mild weather.
- If you have purchased plants during a cold period, store in a frost-free shed until the weather improves.
- Protect roots with straw.
Mid Winter
Flowers and Plants
Hardy Herbaceous Plants
- Clear the dead tops and fork over the soil between each plant.
- Dig over any heavy soil during this month.
- Plan and prepare to purchase new plants for the Spring.
Perennials
Carnations and Pinks
- Test soil for lime, add lime if pH levels are below 6.5.
- During mild weather, firm the soil around the plants.
- Ensure plants are supported and clean up any dead leaves.
- Plan and prepare to purchase new plants and seeds for the Spring.
- In the greenhouse – maintain a temperature of 7 degrees centigrade for continuous flowering carnations.
- Allow ventilation and irregularly water and feed. Cut blooms and flowers once flowered.
- Sow carnation seeds into a propagation frame and keeping a temperature of 16 – 18 degrees centigrade. Once germinated, harden off into 2-inch pots.
Chrysanthemums
- If any stools are waterlogged, pierce the soil with a garden fork to all the water to drain away.
- In the greenhouse – Take cuttings of any larger varieties.
- Control any attacks from aphids or leaf miners.
Dahlias
- Take a look at stored tubers. If any are shrivelled, plunge them into a bucket or container of lukewarm water overnight.
- Cutaway rotted parts of the tubers.
Gladioli
- Order new corms ready for the Spring season.
Irises
- In the greenhouse – Once growth has started in bulbous irises begin watering.
Lilies
- Continue to plant bulbs during the mild weather.
Roses
- If the soil isn’t sticky, wet, frosty or layered with Snow, continue to plant. If the conditions are not suitable, heel the roses in.
- Support rose bushes from strong gale winds using stakes, bamboo sticks or obelisks.
- Prepare soil for early Spring.
- In the greenhouse – maintain a temperature of 5 degrees centigrade watering once a week.
Annuals
Alpines
- Remove any leaves that have fallen.
- Plan to order new plants for the Spring.
Bulbs
- Bring in bulbs for them to flower indoors.
- Feed flowering bulbs with fertiliser feed and prevent overwatering.
- Check bulbs, corms and tubers that you currently have stored. Destroy any that are diseased.
- Plant Achimenes, Gloxinia and Hippeastrum.
- Once they have finished flowering, plant outdoors.
Flowers from Seed
- Dig over beds and plant borders.
- Plan for planting in the Spring.
- Sow Begonia, Pelargonium and Streptocarpus in a propagator.
Heathers
- Any heathers that have lifted from the frost firm them in.
- Continue to plant heathers when the weather is suitable.
Rhododendrons and Azaleas
- Cover to protect from the frost. Remove protection during mild weather.
Sweet peas
- Add hydrated lime to prepared beds.
- In the greenhouse – sow seeds.
Mid Winter
Greenhouse and Cloches
- Remove blooms from flowers once they have finished flowering.
- Avoid overwatering
- Plan what plants you would like to purchase over the upcoming year.
- Remove diseased leaves from plants and destroy leaves rather than composting.
- Block up any draughts, fix any broken window panes and insulate the greenhouse ready for the cold weather.
- Inspect paraffin heaters, fill and clean as and when required.
Mid Winter
Pond, Water plants and Rock Plants
- Continue to protect small ponds from the ice.
- Check water levels, if levels drop this may be due to cracking of the lining.
- Feed fish during the mild weather.
Mid Winter
Lawn
New Lawn
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An established lawn
- Check drainage and prepare top dressings for the Spring.
Mid Winter
Wildlife
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