I’m shifting the month I write my garden diary to better reflect the gardening season. Winter will now be Dec-Feb; Spring: Mar-May; Summer: Jun-Aug and Autumn: Sep-Nov.
That means this post will only include January and February 2025 to get in line with the new schedule…
January
JANUARY — Tidying up, cutting back, pruning. Several clear bright days, but mostly cloudy and cold. Not the most inviting weather to work in the garden.
My White Garden – which is close to my house – looks great in mid-winter thanks to the evergreens. The brown grasses and hydranges, though, now need cutting back.
The autumn foliage of decidous grasses can be very effective in the winter landscape, but eventually start to disintegrate.
Like most ornamental grasses, Japnese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra) should be cut down close to the base in mid winter, before new shoots start to emerge.
Mid January in the Woodland garden and Oriental Hellebores are starting to flower. It’s a real pleasure to sit and quietly tidy up the woodland beds at this time of the year.
I begin pruning all of the trained fruit trees, including this espalier apple. I also give them a winter wash with the sprayer to reduce pests.
My woodland areas are the the first area to put on a spring display, looking their best from January until April. I spend an afternoon weeding, cutting back and tidying the raised beds. Hellebores, primroses and snowdrops are already flowering.
In December and January, I remove all of the previous year’s growth (foliage and stems) to reduce disease and help show off the new growth and flowers.
Here is a pretty combination of wood spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides), pink hellebore, and Butcher’s broom in berry.
While undertaking the winter pruning of my shrub and climbing roses, I’m pleased to discover that the sow breads (Cyclamen coum) that I planted last year are thriving. Their winter display is very welcome. I go online to order some more…
I planted these divisions two years ago at the foot of my Desdemona shrub rose. They have perfomed brilliantly (pun intended) and bulked up nicely. Time to tidy up their old stems.
Some of the sedum stems that I remove have buds along them. These are easy to propogate, simply by pinning the trimmed stems on to the surface of well-drained soil in a pot. They will soon root and grow away.
February
FEBRUARY — The weather was a bit brighter encouraging me out into the garden more. My main occupations were planting bulbs and cutting back roses. I learned how useful hardy winter cyclamen can be and determined to plant more.
This view across my woodland beds towards the front of my house shows how beautiful woodland planting can be at this time of year.
The snowdrops are the first spring bulbs to open and for a couple of weeks dominate the woodland garden.
It is at this time of year that I realise there is space for more of these easy-going bulbs, so I quickly order 300 ‘In the Green’
Very soon, I have 300 snowdrops arrive, ready to plant. They look healthy, and unlike dried bulbs, will establish quickly.
I tuck them into any obvious gap, avoiding spots where I know there are dormant perennials or bulbs.
In other parts of the garden, I continue to prune the roses. In this bed are three Iceberg roses which were a mass of white blooms throughout the summer.
…Once pruned, the yew columns and balls I planted a year ago take center stage. I was worried they might resent the the summer shade cast by the 6ft rose bushes, but they have fared well and look great.
Here is another view of the rose bed (mentioned in January, above) with cyclamens beneath. In the background the stems are of Aster ‘Mönch’, but the cyclamen seem happy to grow under it. Let’s clear away the old aster stems…
With the aster remnants tidied up, the cyclamen make a beautiful display with their tiny pink flowers and clumps of silvery foliage.
Towards the end of the month, I started making plans for replanting parts of my Pond Garden with the aim of producing a simpler, more spacious plant picture. I’ll reveal more in my spring gardening diary (March-May)
Previous Garden Diary Posts
- Garden Diary — Autumn/Winter 2024 (Oct/Nov/Dec)
- Garden Diary — Late Summer 2024 (Jul/Aug/Sep)
- Garden diary — Early Summer 2024 (Apr/May/Jun)
- Garden diary — Spring 2024 (Jan/Feb/Mar)
That is GREAT, once again. Many many thanks!
You’re welcome :)