What to do in the garden this month

• Prune Wisteria, cutting back summer side shoots to 2 or 3 buds.
• Prune rose bushes. Cut back to just above a bud and remove any crossing or dead branches.
• Remove old Hellebore leaves to make the new blooms more visible as they emerge.
• Remove any faded flowers from your winter pansies to stop them setting seed.
• Collect any fallen leaves as these tend to harbour slugs.
• Check mowers and tools and send for servicing, if necessary.
• Cut back the old foliage from ornamental grasses before growth begins – clip them to within a few centimetres of the ground.
• Plan your vegetable plot for this year to ensure good crop rotation and prevent pests and diseases building up in the soil.
• Order seeds and summer-flowering bulbs from mail-order or on-line suppliers.

Did you know?

Many of us want to use less plastic in the garden, from plant labels to watering cans, tools, plant pots and the sheeting used to suppress weeds. Buying (and therefore using) less plastic will not only reduce your plastic footprint, but will also send a message to manufacturers that gardeners want alternatives to plastic (especially single-use plastic).

To learn more, click here:
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/gardening-with-less-plastic/

Source: https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/10-new-year-resolutions-for-the-garden/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2020%20vision&utm_campaign=GW%20Newsletter%20January%201%202020&utm_term=8896906

Interesting facts

• Some arums, stapelia and the largest flower in the world – the rafflesia – smell like rotting meat! The reason for this horrible whiff is to attract flies, which carry their pollen to other flowers.
• The most common scent made by plants is lemon. Apart from an actual lemon, you can find this smell in lemon grass, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon-scented geranium, lemon gum and lemon thyme as well.
• Some plants need moths to pollinate them. They grow pale flowers whose scent is very strong in the evening and hardly noticeable in the daytime.
• Scents are taken from plants mainly as essential oils, which are then used to make perfume. Some perfumes are a mixture of 50 different smells!
• The ancient Egyptians were the first people to write down information about perfume. They used many perfumes as offerings to their gods. And they also used them to help preserve their mummies. The ancient Egyptians lived between 2,500 and 5,000 years ago.