What To Do in Your Backyard in January.

Average temperatures High 72  Low 50

Rainfall 2.43 inches

Florida Arbor Day: January 21

Florida Full Moon: January 3, 2026, 5:03 AM: Super Snowbird Moon – After the holidays, Snowbirds flock to Florida to spend the winter. You’ll find them all over the state, taking advantage of the warm sunshine and numerous attractions.

 What to plant:

 Flowers: Alyssum, baby’s breath, calendula, California poppy, cleome, candytuft, carnation, delphinium, dianthus, dusty miller, foxglove, gaillardia, geranium, godetia, hollyhock, Iceland poppy, lobelia, nasturtium, ornamental cabbage & kale, pansy, petunia, Shasta daisy, statice, stock and sweet pea.

 Vegetables: Asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, endive, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onion sets, peas, potatoes, radicchio, radishes, roquette, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.

 Herbs: Anise, bay laurel, cardamom, chives, coriander, fennel, garlic, ginger, lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, thyme and watercress.

 Bulbs: African iris, Asiatic lilies, amaryllis, blood lilies, bulbine, crinum, day lilies, Louisiana iris, society garlic, spider lilies, rain lilies, refrigerated Dutch iris, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths for forcing.

 Lawn Care

• Great time to wean overwatered turf by irrigating only once a week. If your lawn is declining, resist the urge to overirrigate with the La Nina winter warm temperatures. 
• Make two New Year’s goals to check weather weekly for anticipated rainfall so you don’t need to add supplemental irrigation and check water bill for outdoor water usage monthly.
• Outdoor water use depends on size of yard but should average 10,000 gallons or less a month.
• Once a week watering is the rule and normally adequate at this time of the year.
• If your area is receiving cold temperatures, one benefit of the cold is identifying declining weeds; remove and fill bare spots with sod.
• Continue to mow growing turf to keep a uniform look and control weeds.
• Fertilizing lawns is over until late March/early April.
• Try regreening yellow lawns with an iron or minor nutrient application if needed.
• Large tan circular spots in lawns are likely due to the brown patch fungus. No cure but using correct watering practices.
• Brown patch affected lawns should recover; apply fungicide to prevent further damage.
• Insect activity is minimal, and insecticides are not normally needed until spring.
• Spot kill patches of persistent winter weeds with a selective herbicide for your lawn type.
• Fill in bare spots with sod or plugs; delay seeding of permanent grass until Spring.
• Ryegrass can be seeded to temporarily regreen brown turf or fill bare areas.
• Have a lot of weeds in your turf? Reduce turf area and create garden beds.
• Make sure when you reduce turf to retrofit irrigation zones to water turf and beds separately.
• Do not use irrigation system during freezing weather.
• Perform annual maintenance on lawn care equipment.

Landscape Chores:

• If there is frost, resist the urge to prune away damaged or dead foliage right now
• Pruning damaged foliage encourages new growth that is not winter-hardy and increases likelihood for more damage or death if more freezes occur.
• Replant declining Summer and Fall flower beds and planters with hardy cool season selections.
• Container gardens are a good way to enjoy plants in the landscape.
• Add hanging baskets of color where they can receive sunlight and water.
• Feed container gardens weekly for ground annual plantings monthly.
• Annuals and perennials need watering one or more times a week.
• Check mulch layers and top-dress as needed to conserve water.
• Winter is a good time to add hardy trees, shrubs, and vines to the landscape.
• Make sure root balls are moist at planting time: add a berm to direct water through root balls.
• Make New Year’s goal to check mature plant size space needed before purchasing and planting shrubs and trees in landscape.
• New trees, shrubs and vines need frequent hand watering to keep their root balls moist.
• Leave browned ornamental grass dried flowers for wildlife till end of month or February.
• Leaves are falling from trees and shrubs; use as mulch or add to the compost pile.
• January is a good time to begin yearly pruning of trees and shrubs.
• Trim dead or declining portions from trees and shrubs.
• Schedule major tree trimming now to be ready for severe 2022 weather.
• Always use a certified arborist for tree trimming.
• Crape myrtle grooming can begin this month; remove seed heads, twigs smaller than your pinkie, and any crossing branches. Make sure there is plenty of room for branches to grow up or outward without touching other branches.
• Remove crapemyrtle suckers growing from lower trunk and ground. Keep 3 – 5 trunks for best air circulation.
• Remove dead fronds and old seed heads from palms but keep all green leaves.
• Finish landscapes by edging beds and walkways.
• Divide and replant perennials.
• Learn what plants need winter protection and which plants benefit from the cold.
• Protect cold sensitive plants from frosts and freezes with frost blankets, staked fabrics, or large boxes.
• Secure thick fabric covers to the ground but staked outward to ensure fabric is not touching foliage.
• Turn off automatic irrigation systems during freezing weather.
• Install micro-sprinklers to conserve water and water only where needed.
• Catch and store rainwater to use on container and landscape plantings.
• Reduce landscape maintenance by planting fewer annuals and more perennials.
• Groom hanging baskets and planters by removing old flowers and lanky stems.
• Test soil acidity in azalea, philodendron, and ixora plantings and adjust if needed.
• Turn Christmas trees into outdoor wildlife feeders or mulch for the landscape.
• Dig and move trees and shrubs from one area of the landscape to another.
• Repair gardening equipment.
• Clean out used bird houses, feeders, and baths, and add new ones received at Christmas.
• Add ornaments including statuary, a gazing ball, or a sundial to the landscape.
• Repair wooden benches and chairs.
• End of month: Prune ornamental grasses down to 5” – 6”. Remove surrounding debris.

Vegetable and Fruit Gardening

• Make sure you have 2026 seed catalogs for flowers and vegetable Spring planting.
• Make New Year’s goal to journal your gardening experiences.
• Many Fall crops were poor performers due to weather. Try replanting as winter temperatures arrive.
• Cloth covers, loose hay, and boxes may be needed for protection from frost or freezes.
• Feed winter vegetables and herbs every 3 to 4 weeks or use a slow-release fertilizer.
• Lightly mulch gardens to keep the soil moist, control weeds and keep edibles dirt free.
• Start seeds of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in early January for March transplants.
• Prepare spring planting sites by adding lots of organic matter to sandy soils.
• Encourage pollinators to visit by planting clusters of flowers among vegetables. 
• Save shipping charges; locate seeds, bulbs and transplants locally.
• Store saved seeds in the refrigerator in a sealed container until planting time.
• Add bird netting to strawberry plantings.
• Caterpillars are common cool season pests, control by handpicking or natural sprays.
• Harvest herbs and start new plants to have a continual supply.
• Prune time has arrived for apple, grape, peach, pear, and fig plantings.
• Plant hardy fruit trees, shrubs and vines.
• An acid soil is needed for blueberry production; have your soil tested before planting.

 
Indoor & Foliage Plant Care

• Live plants make the indoors attractive, enhance ambiance, and help purify the air.
• Make New Year’s goal of adding fresh soil to all your plant containers.
• Fertilize with diluted fertilizer throughout the year.
• Cactus and succulents only need watered once a month or less with winter temperatures.
• Protect orchids and tropical foliage plants from temperatures below 45 degrees.
• Orchids will have reduced growing once cold temperatures arrive, water and feed less till spring.
• Check orchids weekly for insects.
• Make sure Cymbidium orchids have high humidity. Cymbidiums thrive with 20 degree cooler (not cold) temperature drops this time of year.
• Dendrobium orchids need less water to go into dormant state before Springtime. Do not let temperatures for Dendrobiums drop below 65°.
• Phalaenopsis orchids blooming period begins. Provide good air circulation. Do not get flowers wet – water only roots and soil medium.
• Vanda orchids with bright locations begin their blooming period. Water roots and soil media 2x -3x a week.
• Check out new lighting systems that make it easier to grow plants indoors.
• Enjoy holiday plants if they remain attractive. As they decline, transplant them outdoors.  
• Keep existing plants a lot longer by giving them at least weekly care.
• Check foliage plants brought indoors from the landscape for pests.
• Use a mild soapy solution to wash indoor foliage to remove dust and control pests.
• Trim off yellow leaves and declining flower stalks.
• Move declining plants into the higher light levels.
• Water foliage plants when the soil dries to the touch.
• Check mature, taller indoor plants have plenty of fresh soil. Change out soil every 1 – 2 years.
• If houseplants are outgrowing pots and you do not want to put in larger planter, take plant out of pot, cut 1/3rd of roots off, add fresh soil, and repot plant.

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