Winter is a great time to start preparing your garden for the seasons ahead. The quietness of January after the hustle and bustle of Christmas usually leaves us with some time on our hands. And what better way to use up that time than to head out to our gardens and get a head start on spring preparations! Here are 6 ways that you can get ahead in your garden this January…

Recycle your Christmas tree

With almost 8 million Christmas trees being sold across the UK in the leadup to Christmas, you can imagine the wastage when January rolls around. Instead of leaving your Christmas tree to perish outside in the corner of your garden, or a dump, there are a few things you can do that will put it to much better use! You can chop up your Christmas tree and use it for mulch around your garden to help reduce weeds and lock in moisture to the soil surface. Or you could create an insect haven in your garden, allowing them to create habitats and homes within the nooks of your old tree!

Get trimming

Strong winds, heavy rainfall and a coating of frost can leave your hedges and bushes looking a bit worse for wear in January. While it might seem like a strange time of year to pull on your gardening gloves and take out your tools, a quick trim and groom of your garden greens when they are dormant will put them in prime position for spring growth.

Clean up your pots

Get your wet gear on and have the hose at the ready, it’s time to rid your outdoor pots of any nasty build-up they have gathered over the winter months! Pots tend to attract hibernating insects, grime, cobwebs and other uninvited unpleasantries over autumn and winter, but a quick clean down will go a long way in preparing them for spring. The best way to do this is to use soapy water and a good scrubbing brush. This will help you to remove anything that has built up on your pots, both inside and out. For those pots that are worse than others, you can opt to soak them in warm soapy water for an hour which will help to budge any stubborn stains.

Say goodbye to worm casts

If you have noticed a build up of muddy soil sitting on top of your lawn surface, you can guarantee that it's a worm cast. They tend to build up over the cooler months and can make your lovely lawn look a bit less attractive. The good news is that they are easy to get rid of. Once they have dried out, all you need to do is use the back of your rake and spread and disperse the worm casts across your lawn - but make sure to do it when the weather is dry!

Snow damage

Luckily in the UK we don’t suffer from any prolonged periods of snow, so our lawns normally come out unscathed during periods of snowfall. But depending on where you live in the UK, you may get a heavier snowfall. In this case, try not to let the snow hang around on your lawn for too long to avoid any disease forming. You can easily clear this by using the back of your rake or a shovel. But take care when doing this as your lawn will be delicate from the cold snow and you don’t want to cause any unnecessary damage!

Collecting debris and leaves 

Even in January, your lawn can still fall foul to a build-up of leaves, sticks and debris on your lawn surface after a blustery period of weather during the winter. To save your lawn from any stress or damage these may cause, you should try to clear these off your lawn before they start to pile up. If you leave them to linger, moisture will start to build up and could cause fungal growth on your lawn!