The act of pruning can be a very helpful way to help certain plants be at their best by getting rid of dead branches and encouraging growth.
All of this depends on the growth cycle of the plants in your garden, meaning some will need to be pruned in the mid-winter period of January to flower properly in the spring.
Gardeners’ World states that doing this correctly will keep your plants “productive and looking great”.
They recommend avoiding pruning when frost is forecast within three days, as it could damage the plant.
The three plants you need to prune in January
Rose bushes and shrubs
Pruning rose bushes and shrubs in the mid-winter period can be very effective to help them flower beautifully in the spring.
RHS Gardens recommends that cuts should be no more than 5mm above a bud and should slope downwards away from it.
It is recommended to prune rose bushes in the winter period (Image: Getty Images)
Dead and diseased stems should be cut out, and aim to have the remaining stems well-spaced out to allow for airflow.
The organisation adds: “With the exception of climbing roses and shrub roses, prune all newly planted roses hard to encourage vigorous shoots.”
Fruit trees
If you have apple or pear trees in your garden, January is a great time to prune them, as it will help them maintain shape and encourage the fruit to grow.
Helen Keating at the Woodland Trust shares that pruning at this time of year should encourage “vigorous growth”.
Alongside that, quince trees would also be appropriate to prune at this time of year.
Hydrangea
Some varieties of hydrangea are ideal for pruning around January, with lacecaps and mopheads being the most common in gardens, according to RHS Gardens.
Mopheads are identified by their full, roundish heads of large petals. Meanwhile, lacecaps have tiny flowers in the centre of the bloom and an outer border of large petals.
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They recommend cutting one or two of the oldest stems at the base to encourage replacement growth that will produce more flowers.
If the plant is completely overgrown, you can cut all stems at the base, but you won’t see regrowth until the next year.
Have you got any plants you’re hoping to grow in your gardens this year? Let us know in the comments.