Gardening Tips for January 2026

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What is Bareroot Season?

• Bareroot*- Lilacs, Blueberries, Fruit Trees, Strawberries, Roses, Artichokes, Raspberries.
• Winter Blooming Annuals or Perennials used as Annuals - Primrose, Sweet Peas, Bellis perennis, Leucanthemum paludosum (white daisy flowers with yellow centers), Ornamental Cabbage or Kale, Stock, Snapdragons.
• Perennials - Lavender, Cyclamen, Veronica ‘Georgia Blue’, Hellebores.
• Shrubs - Ribes, Daphne, Forsythia, Camellia, Grevillea,Rosemary.
• Veggies - Strawberries, Spinach, Rhubarb, Onion Sets.
• Seeds- Summer Vegetable and Flower Seeds for starting inside in February.  
• Extras- Dormant Oil Spray for Roses and Fruit Trees, Frost Cloth.
• Cool Season Annuals-Sweet Pea seeds can still be planted this month. You may have better success though when you plant starts (small plants) of sweet peas.
  

Important Note About Pruning: Now is Not the time to prune-Lilac, Forsythia, Flowering Quince, Rhododendron, or any other early spring bloomers. These plants bloom on one year on older growth so if you prune them back now, you will be cutting off the blooms for this spring.  

• Bulbs for color now - You may have missed planting your bulbs in ground last fall but the good news is that nurseries planted bulbs for you in 4 inch containers. You can create some amazingly colorful container plantings this month! Fill containers with: Ranunculus, Anemone and Narcissus. Buy them from the nursery when they are just starting to bloom instead of being in full bloom already.
• Flower Seeds-Now is the time to order, or buy locally, flower seeds for planting in a greenhouse setting in February or in ground in spring. Wildflower seeds can still be scattered this month (keep area damp and clear of weed competition). 
• Bareroot Roses, Blueberries, and Fruit Trees - You can encourage more rooting by planting your bareroot plants in a five gallon container (keep them watered throughout the year) and plant in ground next year. Remember, a bareroot fruit tree may not produce fruit for 3 to 5 years from planting. For best selection, shop early in the season. For better fruiting, plant more than one blueberry shrub in the same area to encourage cross pollination (they must bloom at the same time). 
• Prune-In addition to Roses, many plants can be pruned this month. Here are a few: Wisteria: prune out unwanted growth, shorten leaders that are too long and shorten other stems down, leaving 2 or 3 sets of buds. Fat buds will become flowers and pointy, thin buds become vegetative growth. Apples and European Pears can be pruned now but stone fruits (fruits with pits like Cherry, Nectarine, Peach) are better pruned in spring during a window of dry weather to lessen the chances of fungal or bacterial infections. Berberis thunbergii can be groomed late January through February while dormant or completely pruned for rejuvenation of the entire plant. Watch The Gardening Tutor video: How to Prune Berberis. Shape Cotoneaster: Make mostly thinning cuts instead of heading cuts for a natural, arching, dramatic shape. Prune out dead, damaged, diseased and crossing stems. Most Fuchsias, once they lose their leaves, prune to three to six inches and hanging fuchsia to the rim of the basket. Watch How to Prune Fuchsia. Photinia  can be shaped now. Roses: Watch The Gardening Tutor Videos How to Prune a Hybrid Tea Rose and How to Prune a Climbing Rose. Contact Mary when you're ready to learn how to prune your plants.Fertilize-Continue to give monthly liquid fertilizer (Mary uses Maxsea) to winter flowering annuals, such as Pansies, Iceland Poppies, Primrose, and Bellis perennis. If Pittosporums are yellowing they may need nitrogen. Using a simple lawn fertilize (no need to buy a lawn fertilizer with weed killer in it) can correct this condition. It does take time to see the results so careful not to over fertilize. For a large Pittosporum use about 2 cups of lawn fertilizer powder or granules. Gently work into top layer of soil and water in.  
• Pest Management-Dormant spray fruit trees, roses and other plants that had or are prone to infestations of insects (such as aphids) and fungus (such as black spot, rust, powdery mildew etc.) Remember to spray the soil area under and around the plant as well. Read directions on the bottle before spraying. Winter vegetables and annual flowering plants like Pansies are really attractive to snails, slugs, and earwigs. Continue to hand pick or bait for these hungry pests. Also, remove yellowing leaves from Pansies, Iceland Poppies, Cyclamens and other winter bloomers before they become infested with fungus that can spread and kill the plant.  
• Weeds-The days between rain showers, when the soil has had time to dry out a bit, are a great time to get out in the garden and pull those pesky annual weeds that grow so rapidly now.Weeding them out before they go to seed is key! Watch The Gardening Tutor video: Weeds How they Grow and How to Manage Them. Be careful when walking on wet soil so as not to compact it too much. You can use a flat board to stand on to disperse your weight.  
• Mulching thickly is one of the best ways to keep dormant weed seeds in the soil from sprouting.
• Transplanting-Many frost hardy plants can be transplanted in winter. First dig the hole where you are moving the plant to and then dig up the plant you want to move. If you do this during a rain shower, the plant may not even know it's been moved! Remember to keep the plant watered if there is a long dry spell of no rain.  

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ALL CONTENT by Mary Frost (no AI).