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    • January winter
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  • HOME
    • About Master Gardener Volunteers
    • 2023 Master Gardener training
    • Demonstration GARDEN
  • Request Our Help
    • Speaker Request
    • Garden HELP Desk
    • School/Community Garden Consultation
  • Garden Zone
  • GARDEN CALENDAR
    • January winter
    • February to do list
    • March timely tips
    • April 15th last frost
    • May spring frenzy
    • June garden tasks
    • July summer tasks
    • August hot summer
    • September gardens
    • October fall begins
    • November planting
    • December gardens
  • Our Publications
  • Videos
  • Consider a Donation

January Garden Tasks
in the Piedmont 

Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs

JanuaryCamellia japonica 'Tama Vino'
  • Don’t forget to water! 
    • Winter drought can be just as severe as it is in the summer.  If the ground freezes, any moisture available is inaccessible to roots. 
    • Pay close attention to newly planted shrubs and trees, and water weekly if there is no rainfall. 
  • Check outdoor perennials and bulbs
    • Make sure none have been pushed out of the ground by freezing/thawing weather
    • Push them back underground and replace the mulch.
  • For camellias:
    •  Rake up fallen blooms to discourage camellia petal blight.
  • Sow seeds of larkspur, bachelor buttons and poppies now.  
    • You can also start seeds indoors for coleus, alyssum, impatiens, verbena, geranium and petunia.
  • Attack unwanted brush and vines.  
    • You can actually see what you're doing and mosquitoes and ticks are off duty. 

 Lawn & Landscaping

  • Eliminate hard to mow spaces like sharp angles of bed borders to decrease lawn maintenance.  
    • Adding ground cover to connect individual trees and shrubs can create an attractive, larger bed.  
  • Avoid heavy traffic on dormant lawns
    • Dry grass is easily broken and the crown of the plant may be severely damaged or killed. 

Trees, Shrubs & Groundcovers

  • Prune fruit trees and woody ornamentals that bloom on new growth, such as althea, buddleia, crepe myrtle, hydrangea and vitex. 
    • Do not prune spring-bloomers until just after they've bloomed, and remember to follow proper pruning techniques.
  • Remove dead, diseased or storm-damaged limbs.
  • Protect broadleaf evergreens with blankets or burlap (never plastic) during periods of extreme cold. 
    • Fertilize them in winter or early spring before growth begins. 
  • Protect borderline hardy plants, like aucuba, camellia and gardenia, by a mound of soil or compost over the crown if the ground surface freezes. 
  • Remember when choosing the location of new shrubs or trees, spots that are sunny in the garden now may be shady in the spring or summer. 

Indoor Gardening

  • Turn and prune houseplants regularly to keep them shapely. 
  • Don't over-water; wait until the soil surface is dry. 
  • Place plants on shallow trays lined with pebbles and filled with water to increase humidity around plants. Most houses are very dry in the winter.   
  • Keep winter fertilizing to a minimum as plant growth has considerably slowed. 

 Miscellaneous

  • Feed the birds regularly
    • They like suet, fruit, nuts, and bread crumbs as well as bird seed.
  • Keep the birdbath free of ice and continue adding fresh water every week.
  • Try different deterrents to see what works best if deer are eating your plants:
    • See this resource from NC State. 
  • ​Toss rubber balls into the water garden to prevent icing over.

 Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener℠ Volunteers   
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 ​The Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a part of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and North Carolina State University
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