January has seen some milder days when I have been making a start on tidying up many of the perennials whose outlines are becoming a bit tatty. They will be quite hardy when winter temperatures resume (you can't move in our garage for snow shovels etc!) I always feel it is such a large garden at this time of year, so different from a few months hence when I will have sown far too many seedlings, acquired far too many plants, and have absolutely no room. I can't wait!

Sadly, the birds don't seem to be settling too well to their new feeding station that replaced our beloved silver weeping pear tree. One reason may be that a Sparrowhawk swooped down to it from nowhere, undeterred by our presence. How often he visits is hard to tell, which may explain why the bird count is severely depleted. However, on mild days their songs have been accompanying me, and two robins enthusiastically approve my efforts, taking it in turns to land just where I am about to work!

With all the leaves off the wisterias, I can see what I have and haven't pruned. There are still plenty of long whippy growths that need cutting back to about 3-4ins. They can easily become a leafy tangle, with very few flowers. So now is the time to show them who is boss! I shall also prune out a lot of tangled growth on the honeysuckles, vines, and 'simplify' the espalier apple trees, to let in more air and light. That is the plan this month.