January may feel quiet in the garden, but it’s one of the most important months for setting up a successful cut flower patch. While growth outside is slow, this is the perfect time to plan, prepare and dream. A little effort now will pay off tenfold later in the year.

January Garden Jobs: What to Focus On

In the UK, January gardening is all about planning rather than planting. Frost, rain and short days mean most outdoor work is limited, but there’s still plenty you can do indoors.

Key January garden jobs include:

Planning your growing space (don’t worry, you don’t need a space anywhere near as big as mine! A garden/raised bed or a few pots will be just fine!)
Creating a seed sowing plan
Ordering seeds early
Tidying and preparing tools

Plan Your Cut Flower Growing Space

Before you buy seeds, take time to plan where everything will grow. Think about shady and sunny spots and how easily accessible water may be if necessary.

Sketching a simple layout of your beds, raised beds, containers or allotment helps avoid overcrowding and ensures taller flowers like snapdragons, sunflowers and sweet peas don’t shade smaller plants.

Planning now also helps you grow just enough. It’s very tempting to buy ALL the pretty flower seeds and sow far more than you need. Knowing how many plants will fit, not only reduces waste but also prevents overwhelm later giving a far greater chance of survival to all your seedlings.

Create a Seed Plan for the Year

January is the ideal time to sort through seed packets and create a monthly seed sowing plan. This is one of the most satisfying January cut flower jobs.

Note when each variety needs to be sown, whether indoors or outdoors, and how long they take to flower. This will help you plan what materials you need and when along with how much indoor space you’ll need. Whether you’ve got one sunny windowsill or a whole greenhouse, you can get them clear and ready for growing now too.

This is the best way to plan your season so you have continuous blooms from spring to autumn. If you’re particularly ambitious you may also want to use this time to plan for successions of crops like sunflowers, zinnias and snapdragons to create the longest flowering window for each.

Order Seeds Early

Many popular cut flower seeds sell out quickly in the UK, so January is a great time to place your orders. Choosing seeds now means you’re ready to start sowing as soon as conditions improve. I’ve listed some of my favourite suppliers below where I buy the majority of my seed. Beware, these websites are full to the brim of incredible photos and if you’re not careful you can spend a small fortune!

Gentle Jobs for the Garden

If weather allows, you can also get ahead with a few outdoor tasks too;

If this is going to be your first year of growing, it’s a great time to cover the ground to kill off any grass or weed where you intend to create beds. A good layer or two of cardboard topped with a dark tarpaulin and held down with pegs, bricks or planks of wood will really get you ahead of the game.

If you were growing last season, now is a good time to clear any remaining debris from flower beds and get them mulched ready for the season ahead.

Now is also the perfect time for a sort out to make sure pots are clean and tools are sharp ready to be put to work in the spring! Whether you’ve got one sunny windowsill or a whole greenhouse, you can get them clear and ready for growing now too. Giving the window/glass/plastic a good clean will maximise light and optimise germination.

But remember – January gardening is about planning, not pressure.

Final Thoughts

January may be cold and quiet, but it’s the foundation month for a thriving cut flower patch or garden. By planning your growing space and creating a clear seed plan now, you’ll feel organised, confident and ready for the busy months ahead.

Your future self (and your vases!) will thank you.

If you’d like to know more, I’m running two ‘growing your own cut flowers’ workshops in April. You can find out more here.

January Garden Jobs: Planning Your Cut Flower Patch