Guides / What to plant
What to plant in January
January is a quiet month for most gardens and houseplants. Hellebores and snowdrops flower through frost outside. Indoors, water less, because a plant that has stopped growing needs far less water than one in active growth.
These are Northern Hemisphere months. If you garden in the Southern Hemisphere, the equivalent month is July.
In the garden
Christmas Rose
Helleborus niger
How to grow the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger. Planting, soil, when to cut the old leaves, the diseases to watch for, and why it rarely flowers at Christmas.
Garden privet
Ligustrum ovalifolium
How to grow privet, Ligustrum ovalifolium. The suburban hedge that takes any abuse, when to cut it, why the berries are poisonous, and its reputation for starving a border.
Leatherleaf mahonia
Mahonia bealei
How to grow mahonia, Mahonia bealei. Scented yellow flowers in the middle of winter, blue berries for jelly, and where to put a plant with spines like holly.
Snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis
How to grow snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis. Why to plant them in the green, how to divide a clump, and how poisonous the bulbs are.
Witch hazel
Hamamelis mollis
How to grow witch hazel, Hamamelis mollis. Why the graft matters, spotting rootstock suckers before they take over, the soil it needs, and why the flowers survive frost.
Herbs and edibles
Citron
Citrus medica
How to grow citron, Citrus medica. An ancestral citrus that is mostly rind and pith, grown for candied peel, ritual use and the fingered Buddha's hand form.
Grapefruit
Citrus paradisi
How to grow grapefruit, Citrus paradisi. The citrus that needs the most heat and the longest season, and the one with a genuine medical caution attached.
Kumquat
Citrus japonica
How to grow kumquat, Citrus japonica. A small citrus eaten whole, skin and all, and among the most cold-tolerant of the group.
Mandarin
Citrus reticulata
How to grow mandarin, Citrus reticulata. The loose-skinned citrus, one of the three ancestral species, and the hardiest group worth growing in a cool climate.
Pomelo
Citrus maxima
How to grow pomelo, Citrus maxima. The largest citrus and one of the three ancestral species, needing more heat than a temperate summer gives without glass.
Rhubarb
Rheum rhabarbarum
How to grow rhubarb, Rheum rhabarbarum. Forcing for early pink stems, why you pull rather than cut, when to stop picking, and why the leaves must never be eaten.
Rocoto
Capsicum pubescens
How to grow rocoto, Capsicum pubescens. The only chilli that takes a frost outdoors, its hairy leaves and black seeds, and the years it needs to fruit well.
Seville orange
Citrus aurantium
How to grow Seville orange, Citrus aurantium. The bitter orange behind marmalade, hardier than a sweet orange, and the source of neroli oil.
Sweet orange
Citrus sinensis
How to grow a sweet orange, Citrus sinensis. Container culture outside the subtropics, the watering that kills more trees than frost, and fruit that takes a year to ripen.
Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
How to grow wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens. A creeping evergreen for acid shade, with red berries all winter and leaves that smell of liniment.
Indoors
Alocasia
Alocasia amazonica
How to care for Alocasia x amazonica. Recognising winter dormancy rather than death, getting the watering right, treating spider mite, and why it drips water.
Areca palm
Dypsis lutescens
How to care for Dypsis lutescens. Watering a palm sold as a clump of seedlings, why the tips go brown, treating spider mite, and never cutting the growing point.
Arrowhead plant
Syngonium auritum
How to grow syngonium, Syngonium auritum. The arrowhead plant, why the leaf shape changes as it matures, and keeping it bushy rather than climbing.
Cast iron plant
Aspidistra elatior
How to care for Aspidistra elatior. The Victorian parlour plant that survives dark corners and cold hallways, why it grows so slowly, and the two things that kill it.
Chinese hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
How to grow Chinese hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Flowers that last a day, why bud drop happens, and keeping it through a cool winter indoors.
Croton
Codiaeum variegatum
How to care for Codiaeum variegatum. Why it drops every leaf when you move it, the light it needs for colour, treating red spider mite, and settling a new plant.
Kentia palm
Howea forsteriana
How to care for Howea forsteriana. Watering a palm that hates wet feet, why the brown tips appear, never cutting the growing point, and the one island it comes from.
Snake Plant
Dracaena trifasciata
How to grow a snake plant, Dracaena trifasciata. Watering, light, why variegated cuttings turn green, and what the air-purifying claims are worth.
Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum
How to grow a spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum. Fixing brown tips, rooting the babies, and whether it is safe for cats.
Zebra haworthia
Haworthiopsis fasciata
How to care for Haworthiopsis fasciata. The succulent that tolerates a shaded windowsill, watering it correctly, removing offsets, and telling it from Haworthiopsis attenuata.
ZZ Plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
How to care for Zamioculcas zamiifolia. Low light, dry compost, rhizomes, leaflet propagation and the false cancer claim.