January Flowers to Boost Your Mood

I try not to have flower favourites but there’s no doubt January flowers are pretty special. Anything that can bloom and lift the spirits during a month I find particularly gloomy is well worth its space in my garden.

Despite the really cold snap before Christmas – down to -12 here – and the seemingly relentless rain since, there’s plenty of colour in the garden, albeit patchy. Adding more is definitely on my must do list.

Little can beat winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) for sheer exuberance. It was flowering before Christmas, got beaten back by the weather but has returned to add winter sunshine to the garden. It’s easy to grow, best against a wall or fence. Just remember to prune back after flowering to stop it turning into a sprawling monster.

Something else that has shrugged off the weather are these primulas – unlike the wooden tub they’re planted in, which is going to need replacing this year. You may remember I bought these during 2020 when plants were hard to find and they’ve just soldiered on ever since.

One of the best January flowers for lifting the spirits is also something you could easily walk past. There’s nothing brash about winter honeysuckle but those tiny flowers have the most powerful scent that reminds me of sherbet lemons. Absolutely beautiful.

Of course, it’s the season for snowdrops and I have flowers or noses poking through soil all over the garden. ‘Colossus’ missed Christmas this year, stopped in its tracks by the snow and sub-zero temperatures. It’s now in full flower, carefully positioned where we can enjoy it without having to step outside.

‘Mrs McNamara’ has also started flowering. She’s alongside the steps that lead to the house. Again, so you can enjoy her flowers without having to venture too far.

I grow this hamamelis in a pot by the front door. I’m concerned my soil is too alkaline and free-draining to really suit it. However, I love these flowers so I’m tempted to try another in a border. This was bought after an inspiring trip to John’s Garden at Ashwood Nurseries. (Read about it here.)

This clematis is also by the front door. The early flowers turned soggy and grey in the December cold and I was worried there would be no more. However, it’s again full of flower.

There’s nothing fancy about this but for a mood-lifting burst of limey green early in the year, there’s little to beat Helleborus foetidus, also known as the stinking hellebore – crush the leaves and you’ll discover why!

I’ve got it threaded through one border and it also appears to have self-seeded in the vegetable patch – I’ve no idea how but suspect wildlife have spread it. I’m going to relocate some of the seedlings elsewhere.

There’s also plenty of promise with hellebores in bud. It shouldn’t be long before they join the January flowers. I’ve cut back the old leaves so the flowers can be seen easily. It also helps to stop the spread of disease.

The daffodils are starting to show and I’ve got flower on the winter daff, Narcissus ‘Rijnvelds Early Sensation’ (seen in the top picture).

Finally, if there’s one flower that never fails to lift the spirits, it’s the common primrose. These have been flowering on and off since the autumn. They may be looking a little careworn but there’s something comforting about their defiance and they are a sign that spring will return.

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