Tasks for January

Set off your flowers to perfection by planting a hedge this month. Filtering out the wind can turn a garden from windswept hillside to cosy flower haven; hedges also provide homes for wildlife and soften boundaries to a gentle green that’s the ideal backdrop for brightly-coloured perennials. Choose from deciduous hedges which drop their leaves in winter, such as [...]

Ireland’s snowdrop season is about to begin, with gardeners all over the country itching to see the first shy white flowers opening their slender petals from this month onwards. Snowdrop Season Ireland is famous for its snowdrop collections, with some of the finest to be seen anywhere opening to visitors throughout early spring. The biggest and best of the [...]

The RHS wants to know how you feel about front gardens – and you could help contribute to research into the therapeutic effects of a little greenery outside the front door. The nation’s front gardens are disappearing at an alarming rate: more than 4.5 million contain no plants, and a quarter are now totally paved over. But there’s been [...]

Are you proud of your garden? Then children’s hospice charity Greenfingers wants to hear from you. Greenfingers Charity The charity would like as many garden owners as possible to open their gates to visitors during 2017 and help them raise money towards their work providing gardens for children and their families staying in hospices. If friends and family regularly [...]

Gardening trends for 2017 include indoor ‘windowsill’ veg growing, growing with wildlife in mind, and metallic colour tones, according to the annual Grow 365 trends analysis from the Garden Media Group. What to do in the Garden in 2017 Indoor gardening now includes hi-tech solutions like aquaponics and hydroponics to give the growing population of indoor growers living in [...]

There’s no denying that January can be a bracing month in the garden – but it’s also the start of an exciting new season, and there’s plenty to get on with outdoors. General tasks: Lag outdoor taps with bubble-wrap insulation or hessian to prevent damage in freezing weather. Remove snow from the roofs of greenhouses and polytunnels to prevent [...]

Put your Christmas tree to good use instead of taking it down to the tip this year. Most of the six million real trees bought in this country each year end up in landfill – but we’re missing a trick. There are dozens of ways you can turn your real Christmas tree into gardening treasure instead - here are a [...]

It may be chilly outside – but that’s all the more reason to wrap up warm and enjoy a bright, crisp winter’s day in the garden. Here are some of the jobs you can be getting on with: General tasks: Protect vulnerable plants with cloches or double layers of horticultural fleece Mow the lawn as long as the ground isn’t [...]