A mild start to winter has brought talk of daffodils, although I’m sad to say I haven’t seen any flowering locally yet. If you’ve spotted some, I’d love to know! I’ve seen daffodil and tulip bulbs springing up through the earth and grape hyacinths in full flower, beside Pelargoniums and Rudbeckias. I’ve seen trees in blossom too.
This lovely weather has been perfect for gardening, although it has meant there is more to do at this time of year than usual – a lot of my customers have remarked on the strange necessity to mow the lawn in December – regularly too! For me it’s worth it to hear the birds singing like it’s spring.
Being the start of a new year, you might feel like delving into gardening for the first time and it’s a great time to find out for yourself the benefits gardening can bring. You might like some beginner’s gardening lessons in your own garden if you need help making a start, or there is plenty of help online and a massive selection of gardening books at the library. There is also a lot of support on Twitter – where you can get your questions answered by experienced gardeners.
As we have just passed the shortest day and the evenings will be drawing out leaving us with more time in the garden again – and as we make our new year’s resolutions for the year ahead, it’s good to think about your garden and how you’d like to shape it in the year ahead.
Even if your vision goes awry, experimenting in the garden is the best way to learn. I also like visiting local gardens for inspiration. What will you do with your garden this year?
Have a fantastic 2016!
Happy Gardening!
Jobs for January:
- Make use of your Christmas tree by chopping it up into mulch
- In wild, wet and windy weather make sure plants are still staked well and check for any damaged branches that might have got torn. You might want to see that your fleece is still in place, too.
- Keep deadheading winter bedding like pansies for more flowers
- Turn the earth to expose pests and improve the soil
- Sow Sweet Peas indoors
- Remove slugs and snails, I keep finding the odd caterpillar still!
- Weed, weed, weed!
Photograph: © Neil McFarquhar