Flower Garden - January

• Plant bare-root hedging, trees and shrubs in mild periods. Get them off to a great start by mixing some J Arthur Bower’s Rose, Tree & Shrub Compost into the soil as you plant. For a peat-free alternative use New Horizon Mulch & Mix. It’s also a good idea to add a small amount of J Arthur Bower’s Bone Meal. See our Green Fingers Guide for Planting Tips. If you haven’t got time to plant properly for a few days, or the weather’s awful, unpack the plants and put them in a large container. Cover their roots with J Arthur Bower’s Multi-Purpose Compost until you have time to plant them.

• Mulch around newly-planted items. Use New Horizon Mulch & Mix or J Arthur Bower’s Composted Bark if you have lime-hating plants. See our Green Fingers Guide for more tips on mulching and soil improvement.

• Order seeds, plug plants and bulbs for the summer.

• Prune wisteria by cutting back last year’s growth to just three buds from the main stem. This will encourage the formation of flower buds. Mulch after pruning. Other climbers such as ornamental vines, ivies and climbing hydrangea can also be pruned now to stop them getting into window frames and guttering.

• Sow sweet pea seeds using J Arthur Bower’s Grow Tubes filled with your chosen seed compost. Stand them upright in a seed tray. Sweet peas don’t need a high temperature to germinate and will be fine in an unheated greenhouse or spare bedroom. 

• Alpine seeds should be sown now so that they can be exposed to cold – this is essential for germination. Make up a special alpine compost using equal parts of J Arthur Bower’s John Innes Seed Compost, your favourite Multi-Purpose Compost and J Arthur Bower’s Coarse Grit. Cover the seeds with more Coarse Grit and stand outside. Cover the pots to protect from excessive wet but do not allow to dry out.

• Brush snow off evergreen hedges and conifers to prevent it splaying out the branches.

• Remove last year’s leaves from hellebores as the flowers start to emerge. This will help show off the flowers and help avert disease problems. Mulch around the plants with New Horizon Mulch & Mix.

Roses

• Plant bare-root roses in mild periods. Get them off to a great start by mixing some J Arthur Bower’s Rose, Tree & Shrub Compost into the soil as you plant. For a peat-free alternative use New Horizon Mulch & Mix. It’s also a good idea to add a small amount of J Arthur Bower’s Bone Meal. See our Green Fingers Guide for Planting Tips. If you haven’t got time to plant properly for a few days, or the weather’s awful, unpack the plants and put them in a large container. Cover their roots with J Arthur Bower’s Multi-Purpose Compost until you have time to plant them.

Back to January