With the busy holiday time of year over , there ’s metre to start thinking about garden again . Though midwinter in the Mid - Atlantic limits our outdoor activity , there are a few gentle tasks to accomplish while we ’re waiting to get growing again .
Give your birds a drink . shuttlecock that spend the winter in our sphere ask water as well as food . Invest in a heated birdbath , and be sure to keep it filled . Or use a sturdy , weatherproof container , such as a heavy - responsibility charge card saucer . Dump out the internal-combustion engine each morning , and interchange it with tender pee to keep your feather ally well hydrated .
follow for frost heave . Repeated full stop of freeze and thawing case filth to careen and can damage shallow or touchy roots , even pushing them above earth level and exposing them to colder temperature and drying sun and wind . If there ’s no snow cover , take the air around once a hebdomad or so to check on fall - planted perennial ( woodies , in particular ) , and cover any exposed root with mulch until you could readjust the root ball properly in springtime .
Go on blighter patrol . While you ’re outdoors , check for spotted lanternfly ( Lycorma delicatula ) egg masses . Look for the putty - color splotches on tree trunks , fences , trellises , garden furniture , pots , rocks , wheelbarrows , and other equipment that stays outdoors . Take a close look at the exterior of your theatre and outbuildings too . smash up any masses that you discover , or scrape them into a container of rubbing inebriant or helping hand sanitizer , and then seal it and discard it .
plow your pecker to a health club day . January is a large time to give all of your gardening tools some attention . I promise you ’ll feel it was deserving an minute or two of your time when you have clean , sharp dick quick to practice in give ! clear off any clinging grease , take away rust patch on metal parts , and sharpen the blades of clip and jab tools . Protect all metal parts with a light coat of veg oil or a multipurpose spray lubricant , and give wooden office an appropriate protective covering too . Since you ’ll be treat your tool often , and probably around edible crop , it ’s a good estimation to apply a skin- and nutrient - safe material to cover their handles . Check labels to find a product with those qualities , such as Tried & True Danish Oil or Howard Butcher Block Conditioner . Or try coconut oil if you have some on hand .
Get an early start on seed . It ’s too before long to embed most seeds that need warmth to germinate , but it ’s a perfect prison term to sow perennial and woody flora that do good from cold or alternating temperatures . sow in early January gives enough of a stale period for much all seeds that need one , such as blazing superstar ( Liatrisspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) , and the freeze - and - unfreeze period usual during our Mid - Atlantic winter do good seeds with baffling germ coats , such as fictive Indigofera tinctoria ( Baptisiaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) . Sow in pots , then jell them in an unheated shed or alfresco , in a spot where they will be protected from black eye . ( An previous fish armoured combat vehicle or plastic loge with a screen on top piece of work well . ) Water the crapper now and then if the weather has been dry for a while or if they ’re not exposed to rain and C. P. Snow ; ensure they ’re not sitting in water , though .
— Nancy J. Ondra is the author of over fifteen books , includingGrasses , The Perennial Care Manual , andThe Perennial Matchmaker .
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Seed heads left standing provide food and shelter for winter birds and give you something beautiful to look at in your January garden, whatever the weather.Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
Fill your birdbaths with warm water regularly for thirsty birds.Photo: Stephanie Fagan
Snow is a hassle when you have to shovel it, but it’s a gift to our gardens, providing an insulating blanket that protects roots and crowns from extreme cold and rapid freeze-and-thaw cycles.Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
Early on, the egg masses of spotted lanternfly tend to be smooth and somewhat shiny. As the winter progresses, they often develop a dull, cracked appearance.Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
Clean and oil your tools now so they are ready for the new season.Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
Start seeds of perennials and woodies that benefit from cold periods and freeze-and-thaw cycles.Photo: Nancy J. Ondra
