In The Flower Garden This January

January is the month to start pruning rhododendrons.

Prune your wisteria by cutting back whippy summer growth, leaving only 2 or 3 buds.

Remove any faded flowers from your winter pansies to stop them setting seed.

If your honeysuckle is very overgrown, now is the best time to prune and cut back hard to encourage helathy, new growth this spring.

Cut back ornamental grasses. Clip back the old foliage from before new growth begins, cut back to within a few centimetres of the ground.

Remove old hellebore leaves to expose the new blooms as they emerge this spring.

Tidy up perennials. Cut down the old stems of perennial plants like sedum, be careful of any new growth.

Cut back willow trees. Remove any damaged or diseased stems. Take out the oldest stems of brightly coloured willows and thin out any overcrowding.

Top Tip:

Prune rose bushes this month while they are still dormant. Cut branches back to just above a bud, making sure to remove any crossing or dead branches.