Paul GarganAfter the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it can be very therapeutic and uplifting to get out into the garden in January. The garden itself is a skeleton of its usual, colourful, vibrant self. This makes it easy to see and reach the bits that need attention.
Give wisteria its winter pruning now. It's pruned both in winter and summer. The winter pruning is to keep it in shape, as after the summer pruning it has spent the rest of the year sprouting growth out in all directions. Identify the long stems that are spiralling out of control and remove these back to a framework of branches that create the shape you want. Use a secure platform to work at height. Cut back laterals and side shoots to two or three buds.
The flower buds are on short spurs of matured wood and are ready to bloom this summer. Thin out old congested spur systems now, by cutting out excess spurs.
January is the time to renewal prune shrubs. Cut back overgrown deciduous hedges and prune out of control climbers, such as climbing hydrangea, ivy, Virginia creeper, Boston ivy and honeysuckle. These climbers don't need regular pruning but they tend to get very woody and spread too far or start hanging down off walls or fences. It's time to cut them back and thin them out.
Space
When a shrub has outgrown its allotted space or has lots of older non-flowering wood, it needs to be renewal pruned. This does not mean chopping it down hard, as all this will do is make the shrub send out masses of long, straight, sappy shoots that won't flower for years. Take it in easy stage.
Aim to remove a few of the oldest branches each winter so that the plant replaces them with new ones over several years. It's the fresh new growth that produces the best flowers and they will produce them at a height that you can see and enjoy.
Prune standard apple and pear trees, that is if you want to. They will still produce fruit even if you don't. The aim of pruning is to thin the tree out, which lets in more light and reduces the amount of fruit it carries. The result is bigger, better quality fruit that develops more flavour and colour.
An unpruned pear or apple tree may produce more fruit but it will remain small, greenish and sharper tasting because of delayed ripeness.
Cut the old leaves off hellebores as they will be starting to push up their flower stems. Cut off the old stems at ground level so you can get the full effect of the flowering. Dead head winter flowering pansies after a cold spell as they will temporarily shut down. A trim and tidy up will help them recover sooner.