insideKENT Magazine Issue 46 - January 2016 | Page 118

OUTDOORLIVING

YOUR GARDEN: january
The coldest month
In January, your garden could need protecting from frosts, gale-force winds
and heavy rain. Check stakes, ties, fleeces and other supports for damage
and consider moving plants to sunnier positions to maximize light. Don't
forget to keep feeding the birds; food is scarce for them over winter. You
can also start planning next year's vegetable plot.

TOP 10 JOBS THIS MONTH
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 reshape lawn edges
5. Inspect stored tubers 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

TOP TIPS
Trees & Shrubs
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.
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.
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. Pack the branches of tender
deciduous trees and shrubs with straw or
bracken, and secure this with fleece and ties; it
will protect them from frost.
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

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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.
Remove weeds from around the bases of young
trees. If there is snow in your area, 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.
Lawns
If the weather is mild you can lay a new turf or
repair hollows and bumps in an existing lawn.
For the latter, make an ‘H’ shaped cut in the turf,
peel back the grass and either fill the hollow with
loam, or scrape away the soil from a bump. Relay the turf, press it into place and pinch the cut
edges together.
Repair lawn edges, especially around flower and
shrub beds, with turves cut from other areas of