JANUARY IN THE FLOWER GARDEN

ACTION NOW

SOW AND PLANT

IN FLOWER NOW

Clear snow from branches of shrubs and trees	Sweet Peas	Towards the end of the month, the hardier winter-flowering bulbs will show their faces and let you know that Spring is approaching. Snowdrops, winter aconites, cyclamen coum and crocus ancyrensis can all be relied on for winter colour. Click here for more information on planting and flowering times. For scent as well as flowers, winter honeysuckle (lonicera fragrantissima), several of the viburnum and the beautiful mahonia japonica will do the job. Winter jasmine (jasminum nudiflorum), viburnum tinus and the hellebores are shrubs that also provide colour in mid-winter. Winter colour must also include a mention of winter flowering garden pansies.

Plan for the year ahead	Antirrhinums (snapdragons)

Keep an ice-free zone on your pond.	Begonias (fibrous-rooted)

Protect half-hardy shrubs from severe frosts	Hardy Shrubs

Aerate the lawn and service the lawnmower	Plan for a few more deciduous shrubs.

If snow is left, it may accumulate and the weight could break branches.

Plan for a new border, or a replan of an old one. Which seeds do you need to buy, what about new shrubs.

Ponds completely covered in ice cause pressure to build up on the fish below, it can also starve them of oxygen. Help them by pouring a pan full of boiling water over the ice daily. Do not hit the ice, because the vibrations are magnified in the water and will damage the fish.

Protect half-hardy evergreen shrubs from frost. Most at danger are those in containers and border shrubs in exposed conditions. Move the containerised shrubs near to the house walls and out of the winds. Border shrubs such as camellias and early flowering rhodendrons will soon be producing young buds - protect the buds by covering them with sacking or newspaper held in place with wire mesh.

Lawns become compacted with use and are prone at this time of year to waterlogging. To help aerate the lawn and open it up, spike it at 20cm (8in) intervals with a garden fork. Put the fork about 10cm (4in) into the lawn and gently move it back and forward slightly. When finished, sprinkle a little coarse sand over particularly wet areas.

Have a good clean up of the lawnmower and if it is a petrol driven motor, consider if it is due for a service.