Garden jobs month by month
Garden jobs in January
In January you prune apple and pear trees on frost-free days, plant bare-root trees and hedges while the ground is not frozen, and give the birds food and fresh water. Pollard willows and coppice while the trees are dormant, and leave hedgehogs and insects undisturbed in their piles of leaves and branches.
Updated for 2027
What to do in the garden in January
January is the quietest month in the garden, but a good month to prune trees and fruit trees: without leaves you can see the shape of the crown best. Don’t prune when it’s freezing.
- Prune apple and pear trees (winter pruning) on frost-free days.
- Pollard willows and coppice trees while they are dormant.
- Plant bare-root trees and hedges if the ground isn’t frozen.
- Shake heavy snow off hedges and conifers so the branches don’t break.
- Hang up fat balls and put out fresh water for the birds.
What to prune in January?
96 trees and hedges from the guide. When and how for each plant in its pruning guide:
- Beech
- Hornbeam
- Hawthorn
- Apple tree
- Pear tree
- Redcurrant
- Wisteria
- Grapevine
- Kiwi vine
- Blackcurrant
- Gooseberry
- Blueberry
What to sow and plant
- Harvest from the vegetable garden
- brussels sprouts, chicory (witloof), kale, lamb’s lettuce, leek, parsnip and savoy cabbage
What to harvest
From trees, shrubs and garden plants:
- Hybrid black poplar resin
- Horseradish roots
- Kumquat fruit
- Lemon fruit
- Mandarin fruit
Recipes
- Poplar-bud salve Hybrid black poplar
- Creamy horseradish sauce Horseradish
- Candied kumquats Kumquat
- Salt-preserved lemons Lemon
- Chicory salad with mandarin and walnuts Mandarin
What’s flowering for bees?
Trees and shrubs with nectar or pollen for bees and bumblebees:
All speciesNature in January
- Hedgehogs are hibernating in piles of leaves and branches: leave them undisturbed until April.
- At the end of January, spend an hour counting the birds in your garden, as in the garden bird counts in Belgium and the Netherlands.
- Bats hibernate in cellars, attics and sheds: don’t disturb them.
What you can see now
- In mild weather, hazel and cornelian cherry are already in flower.
- Witch hazel flowers with fragrant, spidery blooms.
- Now you can recognise trees by their buds, bark and silhouette.
Challenge of the season
All challenges- Count the birdsCount the birds in your garden for an hour, as in the bird count weekend at the end of January. Note what you saw.
Wildlife garden in January
All wildlife garden guidesRead more
All articles- Identifying trees in winterWithout their leaves, you can still recognise trees by their buds, bark, silhouette and the fruit that stays on the branches. These features will get you started.
- Planting a tree: how to do it properlyThe right tree in the right place, the best planting season, the planting hole, staking and watering in the first few years. This is how your new tree grows into a healthy old one.
- Pruning fruit trees: apple, pear, cherry and plumPrune apples and pears in winter, cherries and plums in summer. How to prune a young fruit tree and an old one, and how to avoid silver leaf and gummosis.
Coming up
Garden jobs in March
Each monthly page is online six to eight weeks ahead, so you can plan in time.