Pruning, Planting, Planning & Wildlife Tips by Kate Turner
January is a quieter month in the garden; it’s a time of rest and re-set for many of our plants. For South Devon gardeners, however, our relatively mild winters mean there’s plenty we can be doing to set our gardens up for a healthy, thriving year ahead — without rushing into unnecessary tidying, digging or hard landscaping.
This is the perfect time to focus on pruning, soil health, garden planning, and supporting winter wildlife.
Pruning: A Fresh Start for Your Plants
Winter is ideal for pruning many trees, especially fruit trees such as apple and pears while they’re dormant. For UK gardeners, these fruit trees benefit from careful winter pruning to improve shape, airflow, and future crops.
Focus on:
• Removing dead, diseased and damaged, (the 3 Ds)
• Removing crossing branches that rub leading to the above.
• Opening up the centre of fruit trees to allow good air flow – think goblet shape.
• Cutting back roses and deciduous shrubs (if weather allows)
If your plants are old and severely congested, then you will need to do this gradually, never taking more than a third off at a time. Generally for the older tress, pruning is done in stages over 3 years to avoid shocking the tree.
For younger plants and those to be shaped as a fan, espalier or cordon, you can go in harder, making sure you remove the leader from all plants and choosing the right branches to achieve the desired form.
Top tip – After pruning any tree, give the soil around it a good mulch with organic matter, although avoid piling it up around the stem.
Black, white and redcurrants can all be pruned hard this time of year as can gooseberries and autumn fruiting raspberries. Now is also a great time to plant bare root fruit bushes so see my section all about bare root plants in this blog.
Rose Pruning
Roses will also benefit from pruning at this time of year providing it’s not frosty. Careful pruning helps roses keep their shape, stay healthy and produce more flowers. (Always leave climbers and ramblers till the summer.)
Step 1 – Remove Dead & Damaged Growth
Start by cutting out any dead, diseased, or damaged stems. This keeps the plant healthy and improves air circulation.
Step 2 – Cut Back to an Open Shape
Prune remaining stems to create an open, goblet-shaped plant. This allows light and air to reach the centre of the rose.
Step 3 – Make Clean, Angled Cuts
Always cut just above an outward-facing bud, using sharp, clean secateurs. Angle the cut slightly to help water run-off.
Step 4 – Reduce Height
Most older roses can be cut back by around one-third to half, depending on their size and condition. For mature rose bushes I would cut back to the base any very old stems.
Top tip – Always use clean, sharp tools and wipe your pruners with a disinfectant between each plant and avoid pruning during frosty weather. If you’re unsure what to cut and what to keep, a one-to-one garden coaching session with me can give you the confidence to prune correctly without risking your plants.
Planting Bare Root Hedging and Roses.
Bare root plants are supplied without a pot or soil around the roots from now until March. This makes them a more affordable and practical option than container-grown plants. This is especially useful if you’re planting a hedge, where larger quantities can quickly become expensive and heavy to handle.
Planting now means that plants are dormant and can be planted with minimal disturbance, With no bulky pots or compacted root balls, planting is quicker, easier, and far less physically demanding and there will be less watering needed.
As with all planting, never plant in frozen or waterlogged ground, and prepare the planting area well adding in some good organic mulch.
Top Tip – add mycorrhizal fungi powder to the roots before planting. This has a symbiotic relation to the plant and will help access nutrients and water whilst it grows.
Once in the ground, bare root plants can focus on establishing strong root systems ready for spring growth. This helps them settle in well, leading to healthier plants and better performance later in the year.
Soil Health: The Foundation of a Great Garden
Healthy soil is the key to strong, resilient plants all year round and January is a great time to improve soil structure and fertility without disturbing growing plants.
Simple soil care tasks include:
• Adding mulch such as or well-rotted manure to depleted or new beds
• Mulching to protect soil nutrients from washing away in heavy rain
• Checking drainage in wetter areas
• Starting a compost system for garden waste
South Devon’s climate can lead to compacted, waterlogged soil, so improving drainage and organic matter now will pay off in spring and there’s no need to dig either, just lay your chosen mulch on top and the microbes will do the rest.
Garden Planning: Dream, Design, and Prepare
With less to maintain in winter, January is the perfect time to plan. Think about what you’d like to grow, change, or improve in your garden this year.
Consider:
• Where you’d like more colour or structure
• Whether you want to grow vegetables or fruit
• Adding wildlife-friendly plants
• Improving tired borders
You don’t need a full redesign to make meaningful changes. Small, thoughtful planting solutions can transform a garden without stress or disruption.
Don’t Be Too Tidy: Let Nature Help
It’s tempting to clear everything away in winter, but leaving some areas “untidy” helps not only wildlife survive the colder months, but also your own plants by giving them their own protection from frost.
Try to:
• Leave seed heads for birds.
• Keep leaf piles for insects and hedgehogs.
• Avoid cutting back all perennials.
• Leave hollow stems for overwintering insects
A slightly wild corner is a gift to local wildlife — and it often makes gardens healthier and more balanced in the long run.
Supporting Wildlife in Winter
Even in January, your garden can be a lifeline for birds, insects, and small mammals.
Help wildlife by:
• Providing clean water
• Leaving natural shelter
• Planting nectar-rich plants for early pollinators such as hellebores.
• Avoiding using chemicals and pesticides
Wildlife-friendly gardening doesn’t mean messy — it means working with nature instead of against it.
Need a Helping Hand?
If you’d like expert advice on pruning, soil care, planting solutions, or planning your garden for the year ahead, Kate offers friendly, professional garden consultancy and one-to-one coaching across South Devon.
Whether you need help with a single area or a full garden overview, you’ll get practical, confidence-boosting guidance — without the pressure of a full redesign.
