It might be winter - but there’s still work to do outdoors!
Unfreeze the garden
Bird baths can become frozen solid in winter. The ice will usually dislodge as one mass. Refilling with water will ensure birds get a much needed drink and wash. Continue feeding birds to supplement their food as the ground will be hard and foraging becomes difficult - birds need to maintain fat reserves in winter.
Ponds of solid ice can be cracked where ice is thin and there are no fish. Otherwise pour hot water gently on the surface to melt holes. A good tip is to float a small plastic ball on the surface which creates an area where air can enter and leave the water in the pond, keeping it oxygenated and preserving life stock. It also prevents expanding ice cracking the concrete or plastic liner. When the ice freezes, remove the ball, let the air get to the pond, then put it back before the hole freezes over again. With small water features, pumps and filters should be removed along with solar powered units. Safely store in order to protect them from being damaged in freezing conditions.
Clean pots and the greenhouse ready for spring
Cleaning plastic or glass greenhouses of accumulated dirt, grime, algae and moss with disinfectant or detergent will ensure a more hygienic environment for growing. It will let in more light needed by plants and control pests and diseases. Also clean guttering, water butts, polytunnels and garden frames.
Water butts need particular attention, as standing water can be green with algae and moss that can harbour water-borne microscopic fungus root rots - such as Phytophthora, that causes plant foliage to wilt. Draining water and scrubbing inside will remove the algae. A non-toxic water butt freshener treatment can be added when refilling to control algae and keep away unwanted odours. Keeping tops firmly in place eliminates light, which algae needs to thrive.
Pots and seed trays should be inspected, discarding broken or damaged ones and thoroughly cleaned to remove risk of soil-contaminated diseases.
Check lawns for wormcast
Earthworms are more active during wetter periods and their casts (excrement) can be unsightly in lawns, as well as allowing mosses and lawn weeds to become established if unchecked. Use a wire rake, besom or stiff broom to break up and disperse the casts, but only attempt this when the casts are dry. A deterrent is to use a sulphur-based product that lowers the soil PH, as earthworms dislike acidic soil, but this will not kill those beneficial earthworms.
Overwintered plants
Inspect stored tubers and corms such as dahlia, begonia, geraniums, gladioli and canna for rots and drying out. Discard any showing these signs to prevent it spreading. Any individual tubers infected can be cut from the main crown of the plant and the cut area dusted with flowers of sulphur (brimstone). Tubers and corms should have been stored in a dry cool place in a tray of compost or vermiculite.
Sowing and planting out
Bedding plants, antirrhinum, begonia, geranium, gloxinia, lobelia, sweet pea and verbena can be sown in January. Perennial plants such as anemone, auricula, aquilegia, hollyhock and kniphofia can also be sown. Sweet peas raised from autumn sowings can be encouraged to form side shoots by pinching out the seedling tips. In February lily and allium bulbs and flowering shrubs Daphne, witch hazel and Chimonanthus praecox can be planted outdoors. Plants that have become too large can be safely moved in February provided the ground is not frozen or waterlogged.
Spring is a good time to plant out bamboo, ferns, hostas and agapanthus as the soil will start warming up and becomes more friable and workable.
Pruning and deadheading in February
Prune summer to late autumn clematis that bloom on the current year’s growth. Cut back to a pair of buds within 20cm above ground level removing all previous growth. This is the ideal time before active growth resumes. Ornamental grasses can be clipped, the deciduous grasses sheared to just above ground level and evergreen grasses tidied, removing unsightly leaf blades. Prune winter flowering shrubs jasmine, mahonia and Viburnum x bodnantense and late summer flowering buddleia after flowering to encourage new growth. Trim winter flowering heathers otherwise they can become leggy. Deadhead winter pansies and violas to stop seeds setting and flowers fading.
Tim Penrose
Bowdens