January is for garden planning

In January, the holidays are over. The sky is gray. Nothing is growing but the credit card balance.

When it's not snowing or sleeting, it's just plain frigid. A few sunny days appear, but there's no getting around it—this is January in many of the North American growing zones. Even Florida, Texas and Southern California have had their wintry blasts in recent years.

And when "baby, it's cold outside," there's nothing a gardener can do, right? Wrong! All living things are preparing for spring, and gardeners should be doing the same in January.

Roots are growing in the cold ground, sending sap and nutrients up to trees, shrubs and perennials, which are preparing for buds and new growth. Bulbs are busy creating their gorgeous blooms and getting ready – soon – to push through the frozen earth. And all those garden pests are gearing up for a new strike.

This site is based on planning and preparation, and there's plenty to be done in January. Everything you do now will make the work from March through September easier, more successful and more enjoyable. Besides, a gardener's heart in January needs the relief of looking ahead.

January is the time to study seed and nursery catalogues and the numerous online stores, decide what to plant and where, draw pictures of your dream garden, plan projects and create a gardening budget. Plus, there are some fun things you can do indoors in January, such as forcing bulbs and setting up an indoor greenhouse. This year's seeds are starting to appear in the local stores and planting time will soon be upon you.

In January, read over the various growing zone and plant directory information in the Smart Gardening Resources table below. Becoming familiar with the transition season and the growing season in your zone will help you target planting times and periods for other outdoor activity. Plus, there's lots of other great gardening information at these links, all provided by the U.S. government.

Get started in January on one or more of the following ideas, from both Indoors and Outdoors sections, and see how fast January will speed by. Before you know it, February will arrive.

INDOORS

Create an Indoor greenhouse in January

• This very worthwhile and inexpensive project will serve you throughout the year, for many years, and not just for starting seeds to be transplanted outdoors in a month or two. The indoor greenhouse can be a “hot house” for forcing winter flowering of annuals, such as geraniums, and for forcing bulbs in containers. It also can serve as a “plant hospital” to perk up ailing houseplants. Use it to grow herbs and flowers all winter. It's a great “fix.” (See Indoor Greenhouse for details.

Starting seeds in January

• Starting seeds indoors is inexpensive and requires only a little work and the correct conditions for tremendous results. This spring and summer, you'll have more bedding plants than you ever dreamed of and at a fraction of the nursery cost! With the great conditions of the indoor greenhouse, you can start virtually anything indoors—and keep it growing. If you pine for petunias in January, plant a couple of seeds and watch them grow and flower. (For details on starting seeds indoors, go to Starting Seeds on the Home Page.)

Mail Order

• Set aside some time in January to peruse nursery, bulb and seed catalogs. Keep paper and pencil handy. List the items you want, with notes about their color, size, shape and growing requirements. Then determine where in your yard they would grow and look best. If you have a “dream garden” plan, refer to it. Then, place your orders by phone, mail or online. Many of the best-known nurseries have Web sites with online ordering. All the reputable nurseries ship orders in time for planting in your area.

• Also, use catalogs to get ideas for your own garden plans. It can be especially helpful to study the planting and flower-grouping ideas. If you like their landscaping ideas, add them to your Garden Plan.

• Another source If you don't have Internet access or you prefer other sources, try the public library, which will have gardening books and magazines. Books often give the names and addresses of reputable nursery and seed companies. Gardening and landscaping magazines carry all kinds of nursery ads, which will give you the contact information you need. You can also ask the reference librarian to help you.

• Other options: ask for help at a garden center, local nursery, lawn service or landscaping company. They may have mail-order information. There's also the county extension service, which normally has a horticulture expert, who should be able to help direct you to sources.

Forcing bulbs in January

• This month you should bring into light and warmth the containers of bulbs you planted last fall. They've been maturing in some cold, dark place, like the garage or basement, or even the back of the refrigerator. Make sure each type of bulb has had enough dormancy, and then bring them in from the cold to quickly spur leaf growth and flower production. (See Forcing Bulbs on the Home Page.

• You can still start paper whites (a type of narcissus) indoors this month. They are quick growers and some of the best indoor flower producers. Use bulbs you purchased last fall, or check out the gardening centers, which may still have some for sale now. Put the bulbs in a shallow bowl, anchor them with pebbles or gravel and water thoroughly. Allow about a weeks of dormancy in a cool, dark place and then put in warmth and light to start flower and leaf growth.

Caring for Houseplants in January

• Remember to rotate houseplants that are in windows, so they won't strain for the weak winter sunlight and grow unevenly.

• Check houseplants often for dryness—but take care not to over-water. Forced-air furnaces wreak havoc on indoor plants because the dry air they produce draws moisture out of the soil very quickly. Humidifiers help, but you should still check. Stick your finger in the soil about an inch deep. If it feels dry, water immediately. If it's moist, wait another week or so.

• It doesn't hurt to mist indoor plants once a week. Also, gently wipe dusty leaves. They can't breath with all that debris!

• If you have plants in dark corners, give them a break with artificial light in January. This can be from a regular table lamp with an incandescent bulb, or you can set up more specialized plant lighting. Don't expect houseplants to grow in the dark.

• In January, and every month until April, feed houseplants no more than once a month.

Making a Gardening Plan in January

• Planning and organization are the backbone of any successful garden. A little planning goes a long way, so spend a few gray days in January doing it, and you'll thank yourself all spring, summer and fall. Get a calendar just for your gardening tasks. Go through each month of this site and write down what you must do, what you should do, and what you'd like to do each month. (Go to Planning a Garden on the Home Page for more details and ideas.)

• Along with a 12-month calendar, a gardening journal is a great tool for the home gardener. A journal will help you remember from year to year the things you tried, what worked, what didn't, and what you want to try at a later date. A journal also helps you recall where you planted spring bulbs last fall and where your perennials are so that you don't plant something else over them or accidentally dig them up.

• How about setting up a gardening budget in January? Want to avoid over-spending like last year? Unsure what your gardening dreams will cost? Want to keep a lid on it? This is the answer. Probably the hardest thing for gardeners to do is put away the checkbook or credit card. You get to the nursery or garden center and suddenly you must have everything in sight: tools, seeds, bedding plants, bulbs, fertilizers, pest controls, planters, watering cans, hoses, sprayers, gloves, statuary, mulch, stepping stones and bordering. Gardening can be an expensive hobby—but only if you don't PLAN your spending. Ditto on this being a good project to do before any mail ordering.

• If you are thinking of major changes, such as a complete lawn or garden overhaul, or if you just want the services of a professional landscape architect, consider talking to a couple in January and getting some plans drawn up. Make up a fantasy garden plan, including rough sketches, and the professional landscape designer will turn them into a specific, detailed plan that you can implement all at once—if your budget allows—or year by year. This will cost you some money. But once you have the technical plans laid out, you can do the work yourself or engage that designer or other professionals before they get booked for the season.

OUTDOORS

Garden cleanup

• Take a tour of the yard on a mild day. If leaves have piled against the house or threaten to smother shrubs, rake them away. However, take care not to expose bare ground in places where perennials and spring bulbs are planted. They need the winter leaf cover for another month or two as protection. A light to medium leaf cover is a good thing for them in the winter, and also may help prevent squirrels from digging up and eating your bulbs. You can also pull up dead stalks from annuals and perennials, if you didn't get to it last fall. Be careful not to pull up the roots of perennials while doing this. Replace protective mulch or leaf cover afterwards.

• Check the mulch level around perennials, trees and shrubs. Replace it, if necessary. Sometimes this just means raking it back into place. By mulch, I mean the decorative layer of shredded tree bark or wood, or the finely shredded piles of leaves you have applied on top of flowerbeds and around the bases of trees and shrubs.

• Watch out for the “heaving” of perennials. This occurs when the freezing and thawing of the soil pushes the roots to the surface. They will die or be damaged by the cold if not replanted. If you see heaving, gently push the roots back down and cover them. Adding a layer of new soil or mulch will help prevent a recurrence. Sometimes edging materials are also heaved up during the winter. Press them back into the soil, also.

Pests and disease

• Most garden pests and disease are dormant now. However, if you're worried about this, you can apply dormant oil spray. Read the package directions.

Pruning

• Pruning is not recommended this time of year. However, if you see any split or broken limbs, trim them off before they cause further damage. If heavy snow or ice cause broken limbs on large, mature trees, consult a tree expert.

Snow removal

• A heavy, wet snow (more than 4 inches) could damage evergreen limbs bowed under the weight. If branches on trees or shrubs are loaded down by snow, take action. Remove the snow while fresh and soft. GENTLY shake the affected branches until the snow falls off. Use a broom to reach high branches. If any branches are broken, cut them off and seal the wound with a product meant for that use.

• If you have some newly planted trees and shrubs, or ones with vulnerable branches, give them some support against heavy snowfalls. Tie up weak branches or stake them to prevent splitting and tearing.

• When clearing driveways, stairs and walkways of snow, throw or blow some of it onto the flowerbeds—but NOT if the snow contains any salt or “melting” chemicals. If the snow is pure, it will provide additional moisture to the soil, as well as insulation from extreme cold, which can cause heaving of perennials. Be careful not to pile snow on top of growing things, like holly and evergreens.

• In the event of freezing rain or an ice storm, don't panic. Experts do not recommend your trying to remove this frozen coating from trees and shrubs. You might do more damage that way. Allow it to melt naturally. However, if you see some limbs in danger of breaking, you can prop them or tie them up to avoid splitting and tearing.

Tools and equipment

• It's a good idea, before the big snowstorm hits, to check the running condition of your snow blower or snow thrower. Take it in for a tune-up, if needed. Also, is the handle broken on the snow shovel? Maybe it's time for a new one before those six inches fall some night.

• If you have a snowy afternoon to kill, spend it in the garage. Look over the garden tools and machines. If you didn't have time to do it last fall, now you can clean, sharpen, repair, oil and organize everything. Also, take inventory. Make notes about repairs, replacements and maintenance.

Watering

• If the winter has been dry, consider watering newly planted trees and shrubs. Don't forget to turn off the outdoor water supply when you are finished, or you could have frozen pipes! And bring the hose back indoors. Freezing temperatures will damage it. What is a dry winter? Virtually no snow, rain or sleet. The evening news weather report will usually tell you. Otherwise, as at the garden centers.

Birds

• Hang a bird feeder near a window, and watch the cardinals, titmice, chickadees, finches and sparrows gather. Get a bird book and keep it by the window to help identify the different species. Remember that different birds prefer different food. Finches like the tiny, black thistle seed. You will need a special feeder to hold it. Also, cardinals prefer black sunflower seeds, and will be drawn by this food. Mixed wild birdseed is available almost everywhere: grocery stores, garden centers, hardware stores, discount stores. Suet bars also will draw many birds. One suggestion: make sure bird food is out of the reach of squirrels. They're masters at stealing it.

• If you're pulling out the garden hose to water some newly transplanted trees and shrubs during a dry winter, take a few minutes and fill up the birdbath. Or, take a pitcher of water outside and do the same. It will be their drinking water.

Miscellaneous

• Feeding squirrels in winter is not recommended, unless you want them to stay around all spring and summer, too. But, if you don't mind them and enjoy watching their antics, they will eat corncobs, apples, bread crusts and sunflower seeds.

• Think about decorating your window boxes or other empty outdoor planters. Get some inexpensive artificial greenery or flowers. Stick them in the soil of the planters. Look for holly, ivy, dark-colored mums, asters, or ornamental kale at the craft and discount stores.

• Another way to add some outdoor interest is to clip (carefully) some branches from your evergreen bushes or trees. Stick them in the window box (or planter) soil and arrange artfully. A few small twigs and branches you find on the ground will add interest. Add some pinecones. Also, take clippings from a live Christmas tree before tossing it out.