Continue chitting your seed potatoes somewhere light and cool. The potato growing bags you can buy are ideal. Here at Living Gardens we always have plenty in stock. During February we will be having a special Potato Event….look out for news of the event as we will be selling some buckets with potatoes ready for you to take away…”Go and Grow”. The Coffee shop will also be having a potato themed menu on the day too in celebration of the very versatile veg!

If you have a greenhouse you can get an early crop of lettuce, rocket and radish started.

There is still time to finish planting fruit trees and bushes, especially raspberries and other cane fruits.
Early in the month you can prune apple and pear trees whilst they are still dormant. Prune your gooseberries and currants but with currants shorten the side-shoots to just one bud and remove old stems from the centre of the bushes.

Prune winter-flowering jasmine once the flowers have faded. Remove any dead or damaged shoots and tie in the new shoots to the framework.
This keeps the plant looking neat and improves flowering. It’s a good idea to feed and mulch after pruning.

Summer-flowering jasmine may also be pruned as long as they are reasonably hardy. With these remove a couple of stems to ground level but avoid cutting back new growth as this would damage the current years flowering potential.

When pruning, concentrate on removing overcrowded growth, crossing stems and dead, damaged or dying branches. Aim for an open centre so the air can circulate as this will reduce the risk of pests and diseases.

Annuals that will be in stock during February include…..Spring/summer violas and pansies
Primulas and polyanthus.

Prune your wisteria twice a year and January is a great time for one of the pruning sessions. Cut back all the whippy growth that has been made since the summer and prune again in July.

Trim back Ivy and Virginia Creeper

Clear away any dead foliage from perennials and cut them down to ground level. Dig out annuals from borders and turn over the soil.
Put a 2”layer of mulch on your border. You can use compost, leaf mould or farmyard manure. This helps put nutrients back into the soil to help feed the plants and also protects plant roots.

If you don’t have snowdrops but you like them and you know a friend who has them , they can be lifted and divided as long as you re-plant straight away.

Keep frost fleece on your cordylines or bring them into the greenhouse or conservatory.

It may be cold in the air but the soil does retain some warmth. It’s a great time to plant the hedge you have always wanted.
Living Gardens has a stock of potted up Laurel, Privet and Blacktorn at excellent prices. Currently the stocks are bare root but in a couple of weeks they’ll be potted.

Replace your old roses with your new ones.

Now is a great time to plant camellias, azaleas, conifers, shrubs, roses and rhodedendrums.

During January many birds will be seen in the garden, the most common ones are blackbirds, thrushes, tits and robins.
It is necessary to look after our feathered friends as the natural food sources that birds rely on become scarce at this time of year.

If you hang a bird feeder out, if you are able to hang it over a paved or decked area this can then be swept clear of debris from the bird feeder and may help reduce unwanted visitors like rats.
It is fine at this time of year to leave chunks of food on the bird table as there is no risk of too-large pieces being fed to the fledglings.
Robins, starlings and other birds will eat the titbits so seeds, nuts, cheese and fat are great to put out. If you put out stale bread or cake just make sure you soak it first in water to make it easier for the bird to swallow.
Do not put out salted or coated nuts but those with the birdfood standard seal of approval.
Living Gardens sells mealworms and fat balls in addition to other specialist types of bird food.

Each year the British Trust for Ornithology runs National Nest Box week from 14th to 21st February.
This year Living Gardens is supporting the event with a great offer from “Town and Country” who have produced a beautiful nest box on a white pole….the rrp is £39.99
but we have these bird tables on offer for £19.99…..the bird tables have been
sold during December and January for £24.99!

The aim of National Bird Box week is to urge everyone with a nest box to clean it and make sure it’s ready for the coming breeding season. This is also the very best time to put up a new box.
Nest boxes are important for birds as modern habitats are not always suitable or safe for birds to roost in.

The BTO is the UKs leading bird research organisation and has over 10,000 members who are mainly skilled birdwatchers.

We have in stock a selection of nest boxes from £4.99 and a good selection of bird seed too.