January Gardening Tips 2026

 

January Gardening Calendar

Start planning for Spring. January is the perfect month to start planning your garden for the current year. As a refresher for last year’s thoughts, ideas or plants you were thinking about purchasing, dust off your gardening journal to see what changes or additions you want to make this year. A garden is always evolving.

Start looking at seed and garden catalogs. January is a good time to start planning this year’s design features and plants. Seeds and new introduction plants sell out quickly. Don’t miss out and wait, try to order your seeds or reserve your plants soon. Reserving your plant purchase guarantees the plant will ship at the proper time for planting in your USDA zone.

Seed starting Kits. Growers recommend starting the seeds indoors in a bright location to get a jump start to spring. There are seed starting kits which are advertised as seed starter germination kit or seed starter greenhouse kit. The kits usually feature a tray, growing media disks, and a cover for the tray. The kits are an excellent choice to start growing your seeds before spring. Some kits even include a warming matt to get a faster germination rate. 

Bare Root Roses will be arriving soon at local garden centers. Prepare planting beds by digging an area 3 feet wide by 12 inches deep for each rose. Soak bare root roses in a mixture of Super Thrive, Real Growers-Recharge soil microbes, and water for 24 to 48 hours before planting. Local nurseries will also have available roses in peat pots. Peat pots are biodegradable and can be planted directly in the ground. Don’t take the plant out of the peat pot. Before planting make a slit a quarter of the way down and around the pot four times. This action helps the peat pot degrade faster and also lets the roots start growing outside the peat pot. For more information on Rose Care Click Here.

Do you want to keep your Poinsettias all year? Once the temperature is 40 to 50 degrees you can place your poinsettias outdoors and in the shade. Water only when the soil is dry to the touch. Start fertilizing in March. After the blooms (bracts) start fading or turning green trim the plant.

Deciduous Trees and Shrubs the structure of the trees and shrubs can be easily seen this time of year. Prune all branches that rub or cross each other. Trees and shrubs can be planted now. Plan to plant on a warm day when the ground is not frozen. When the weather warms for a week or longer, and then the temperatures drop into the twenties, cover Camellias and Gardenias nightly until the temperatures are above freezing. The last week in January prune Pear and Apple trees, and Grape vines.

Vegetable Garden till the soil, if the ground is dry. This preventative measure helps to eliminate weeds, insects, and nematodes. Most vegetables can be planted in the garden after the last freeze date in your area.  Don’t have room for a vegetable garden, but would like to grow your own vegetables? All vegetables can be grown in large planters. The recommended planter size for vegetables is 16 inches or larger. In fact, that is how I grow my vegetables each season. For more information on Spring Vegetable Gardening Click Here.

Prune Pampas Grass and all other ornamental grasses down to about 12 to 24 inches. Prune Lantana and Cannas down level with the soil. Shape Crepe Myrtles and Altheas and remove old seed heads.

Annuals water winter annuals like pansies, violas, ornamental cabbage and kale, after a hard freeze. This helps to rehydrate the annuals faster. Water outside container plants before a hard freeze, too.

Houseplants check for insects. Insects like mealy bugs, scale, spider mites are more likely to infest your plants during the winter months. Spray with a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, and make sure you spray underneath the leaves. Turn your houseplants a quarter to half turn once a week. This prevents leaning of your houseplants. I turn mine once a week when I water my houseplants.

Need more gardening advice? Follow our BlogSpot for current sales, daily specials, and sound gardening advice. Simply click on Join This Site Link under Followers. Sign Up Is Free. View Current Blog Post Click Here.

Discover the beauty of nature with plants and plant photo prints at Hibiscus and More, where every piece is a celebration of the natural world!

Cheryl Meola’s Plant Photography on Merchandise. The website features clothing, home décor, puzzles, and greeting cards to customize for any occasion. https://cherylann-meola.pixels.com

My photography is on display on different websites including my own HibiscusAndMore.com. The other sites that have my photography are: www.fineartamerica.com/art/cheryl+meola 

Click on the links below.

https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/cherylmeola

https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Cheryl+Ann+Meola 

https://stock.adobe.com/contributor/210785031/cheryl 

Cheryl has written several gardening books available now on her website HibiscusAndMore. Topics include Landscape Gardening, Butterfly Gardening, and Houseplants.

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this newsletter are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated or copied. ©Cheryl Ann Meola.

 

Petals and Profit: Turning a Flower Garden Into a Thriving Business

 

Petals and Profit: Turning a Flower Garden Into a Thriving Business

Photo via Pexels

You probably didn’t plant a sprawling flower garden with profit in mind. Maybe it started with a few rows of peonies and dahlias, then grew, season after season, into a vibrant, living canvas of color. But now that your garden stops passersby in their tracks and fills your mornings with the buzz of bees and the hum of potential, you might be wondering how to turn all that beauty into a business. The answer lies in seeing every bloom as both art and asset—balancing what’s beautiful with what’s bankable, without losing the soul of your garden.

Start with the Stems: Selling Fresh-Cut Bouquets

There’s no quicker route to revenue than harvesting what’s already growing. Arranging and selling fresh-cut bouquets through local farmers markets or subscription flower services brings in immediate income and gives your garden a foothold in the community. You can go beyond the standard floral fare and highlight seasonal, lesser-known varieties that add charm and narrative to each bouquet. Pair that with hand-dyed wrapping paper or recyclable packaging, and you’ll have a product that’s not only lovely but also aligned with modern sustainability values.

Design Your Own Bloom Bar

Flower lovers often crave more than just arrangements—they want interaction. Setting up a “bloom bar” for private events like birthdays, bridal showers, or team-building sessions creates a hands-on floral experience. You provide the stems, the tools, and the guidance, and guests build their own take-home creations. It’s equal parts social, educational, and sensory, and it lets people step directly into your garden’s magic, transforming your space into a working studio for joy.

Host Workshops That Dig Deeper

Floral design is just one aspect of what your garden can teach. Hosting intimate workshops on topics like soil regeneration, composting, or pollinator gardening turns your passion into knowledge-sharing and positions you as a thought leader. These sessions don’t need to be overly technical—just thoughtful and rooted in what you’ve learned through practice. People want to feel connected to the land again, and your garden can be the bridge that invites them in without pretense or pressure.

Make Room for the Lens: Rent It Out for Photography

With a backdrop as cinematic as a flower garden in full bloom, you’re sitting on a potential goldmine for photographers. You can rent your space by the hour to portrait photographers, influencers, wedding clients, and content creators looking for natural beauty without artificial sets. To keep things fresh, create designated photo areas that rotate with the season, offering new scenes and colors as the year unfolds. It’s passive income that also turns your garden into a local landmark for beauty.

Lean Into Agri-Tourism With Seasonal Events

Think of your garden not just as a place to grow flowers, but as a destination. Hosting seasonal events like tulip festivals, sunset garden picnics, or moonlight strolls can bring in families, couples, and tourists hungry for outdoor experiences. Add live music, local food vendors, or even yoga classes among the blossoms to give guests more reasons to stay—and spend. Done right, these experiences build community and brand loyalty while still being grounded in your original love for plants.

Create a Dried Flower Product Line

Fresh blooms are fleeting, but dried flowers offer a longer shelf life and wider creative scope. From wreaths and garlands to pressed flower bookmarks and framed botanical art, your garden’s second act can be just as vibrant. You can sell these items online or through local boutiques, always weaving in the story of your garden’s origins and ethos. The key is in the curation—choose pieces that reflect a mood, a memory, or a message, not just a collection of stems.

Build Up Your Business Skills

If you're ready to treat your garden like a serious business, developing strong business skills can help you get there faster and smarter. For those looking to formalize their knowledge while keeping their hands in the soil, this is a good pick for earning a business bachelor’s degree that supports both growth and grit. Whether it's understanding how to track expenses, price products, or navigate the logistics of scaling operations, financial literacy and strategic thinking can turn your passion project into a sustainable venture.

The transition from gardener to entrepreneur doesn’t mean trading in passion for profit. It means recognizing that your garden can be both sanctuary and business, a place where creativity thrives alongside smart strategy. When you center sustainability, community, and authentic experiences, you don’t just grow flowers—you grow trust, wonder, and a living income.

Discover the beauty of nature with exquisite fine art prints and unique greeting cards at Hibiscus and More, where every piece is a celebration of the natural world!

Cheryl Meola’s Plant Photography on Merchandise. The website features clothing, home décor, puzzles, and greeting cards to customize for any occasion. https://cherylann-meola.pixels.com

Floral & Foliage Stock Photography.  Stock Photography.

Botanical & Seasonal Stock Photography. Stock Photography.

©David Dixon 2025

June Gardening Calendar 2025

 

June Gardening Calendar 2025

June is the time of year to trim your Big Leaf Hydrangea, Oak Leaf Hydrangea, and Gardenia after blooming. After trimming, use an Azalea and Hydrangea fertilizer and add a new layer of mulch for the summer and fall months. The flower buds are set in the fall months for summer months blooming.

Your cool season vegetables have already started to bolt (bloom), which alerts the gardener the season is over for cool season vegetables. You can either pull out the vegetables or till them into the soil to enrich and add nutrients to the soil.

We can start thinking about planting winter squash, pumpkins, gourds, okra, and southern peas.

There is still time to plant heat tolerant vegetables tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and watermelons. These I thought are worth mentioning to try in your garden:

Malabar Spinach is a heat tolerant alternative to traditional spinach and grows as a vine. The leaves in salads are fleshy and have a peppery, citrus taste when used fresh. When cooked Malabar spinach taste just like traditional spinach. Make sure the plant is always well watered. You can use the leaves fresh, stir-fry, steamed or boiled.

Okra enjoys the heat. The spineless varieties are recommended because of the spines on the plant and okra. Even with the spineless varieties it is recommended to wear gloves and long sleeves when harvesting the okra. Some of the varieties recommended are Clemson Spineless 80, most popular, Emerald, White Velvet, Cajun Delight.

Sweet Potatoes can be grown in a container, such as potato grow bags, whiskey barrels, or a very large container. You can harvest the tubers, sweet potatoes in about 4 months.

Summer Yellow Squash is very prolific grower and producer and enjoy the summer heat. In the summer would have summer squash several times during the summer. Yummy. Try cooking steamed or boiled with sliced onions, if you like onions.

Peppers, hot or sweet. There are many varieties of green, yellow, orange, red. All colors love the heat. In areas that have extremely high temperature during the summer months you may need to give some afternoon shade to prevent flower drop.

Bush Beans are easy to grow and do not require staking. Provider, Blue Lake 274, Contender are just a few varieties to grow this summer.

Butterhead Lettuce is one of the lettuces that will take the summer heat. Water deeply and mulch heavily.

It is always a good idea to monitor your garden for insects and diseases. Early detection is the key. When you are uncertain of the insect or disease, take a sample to your local garden center or nursery.

Fertilize tomatoes every two weeks with a calcium enriched fertilizer. The calcium will be listed on the label.

In June, there are numerous perennials in stock at your local garden center. A perennial is defined as a plant lasting more than two years. Asclepias (milkweed) is one great perennial that is gaining popularity. Milkweed is the host and nectar plant of the Monarch Butterfly. Last year the Monarch Butterfly was put on the endangered species list. As gardeners we can start incorporating Milkweed (Asclepias) into our gardens. Asclepias do extremely wonderful in containers for the apartment gardeners. We have to act now and quickly. Buy your plants or seeds now. The Monarchs need our help. For more information on Butterfly Gardening, Cheryl has written Gardening for the Butterflies Click Here to Purchase.

Deadhead perennials to get a second flush of blooms.

Color annuals and Tropicals are blooming brightly at your local garden center. Start thinking about starting your container gardens and color bowls to place around your deck, patio, or outdoor living area. Tropicals know how to beat the heat of summer and will bloom continuously till first frost.

Hibiscus and More offers fine art prints of Cheryl Meola’s plant photography. Fine Art Prints. Click Here to Purchase.

Cheryl Meola’s Plant Photography Merchandise. Click Here to Purchase Merchandise.

Floral & Foliage Stock Photography. StockPhotography.  

Botanical & Seasonal Stock Photography. Stock Photography., 

Sunday, June 15^th is Father’s Day send something special from Hibiscus and More. Gardening Books are great and make excellent Father’s Day Gifts to give for gardening Dad’s. Cheryl has written books on General Gardening, Houseplants and Butterfly Gardening. Click here to purchase Gardening Books.

November Gardening Calendar 2024

Blow or rake fallen leaves from lawn areas. The leaves left on the lawn block the sunlight to your grass and will create bare spots. Don’t forget to compost the leaves. Spray each layer with water. Need a composter? There are several composters on the market today, but deciding which one to buy may be confusing to some. Composters are designed for gardeners and home owners with several designs to choose from. Some are designed to be mobile and when the compost is ready the gardener can take the composter to the area where it is going to be used. Other composters are deigned to be stationary. When deciding on a composter think about what you want the composter to do for you. For my information on composting Click Here.

Plant spring-flowering bulbs now and add bone meal to the planting hole. Depending on how south you garden in some spring bulbs can be planted in December. The key to planting spring flowering bulbs is the ground needs to be cool enough so the bulbs remain dormant until spring arrives. For more information on fall bulbs Click Here.

You can save your Elephant Ears, Dahlias, and Caladiums by digging them up now. Let the tubers dry out before storing for the winter. Store tubers in boxes layered with peat moss or vermiculite, then layer tubers on top of your choice of medium. Store boxes in a cool, dry place.

Spring and summer perennials can be pruned back and mulched. After the flowers have faded on Chrysanthemums and Asters prune to 4 inches and mulch. Clean up Hellebores. Trim dead and yellowing leaves. Hellebores grow from the center and by removing the dead and yellowing leaves increases more pups.

To encourage winter songbirds in your garden, get a birdfeeder. It is recommended to use the black oil sunflower seed for most birds. Black oil sunflower seeds make a nutrient-dense snack for birds. The seeds have a higher oil content which translates to more nutrition. The shell is thinner, which makes it easier to break open for the birds. Fill bird feeders with black oil sunflower seeds.

Plant New Shrubs and Trees: Have you been thinking about replacing a few shrubs that just did not quite get established in the landscape, or planting a new shade or flowering tree that you just cannot live without in your landscape? Now, is the time to start thinking about making that purchase? The fall season is an excellent time to add new shrubs and trees to your landscape. This time of year, will let your newly planted shrubs and trees get a head start by developing and establishing new root growth in the soil.

You still have time to plant your winter color such as: Chrysanthemums, Pansy, Viola, Snapdragons, Stock, Cyclamen, Dianthus, Sweet Alyssum, Flowering Cabbage and Kale provide winter color through the spring and should be still available at garden centers. For spring blooms plant Bluebonnet and Poppy seeds this fall. For more information on fall and winter annuals Click Here.

Holiday Plants that you kept last year need to be placed in a dark room during the evening hours for the plants to bloom this holiday season. I remember this gardening ritual when it is time to turn back our clocks; it is time to give holiday plants total darkness until you see buds or bracts forming. Christmas Cactus and Poinsettias are night dependent plants for them to bloom; these plants need several hours of darkness to bloom. The cooler weather also helps in the blooming process. If you purchased new holiday plants, try to place them in the coolest area of your home.

Have you ever tried forcing Paperwhites for the holidays and the stems and blooms became leggy? Here is a link to an article about what to do to prevent the legginess from occurring. Click Here To Read More: http://www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/cultivation/growing-paperwhites?et_mid=525016&rid=2111517

House Plants that were brought indoors need a ¼ turn to prevent leaning towards the light. To prevent this, turn your house plants once a week. House plants do not need as much water during the winter months, water when the top one inch of the soil is dry. Another way to decide whether to water is if you had several days of cloudy weather check your plants on the normal day you usually check, if the soil feels wet wait a week. Houseplants do not need as much water during cloudy, winter months.

The Blogger, Cheryl Ann Meola, has several Links to share with you featuring her fine art plant photography and merchandise. Click on the links below.

For Gardening Books: Butterfly Gardening Click Here. House Plants Click Here.

Landscape Gardening Click Here.

Fine Art America Portfolio for Prints and Household Merchandise. Click Here.

For Cheryl Ann Meola’s Shutterstock Stock Photography.

For Cheryl Ann Meola’s Adobe Stock Photography.

Cheryl Ann Meola © 2023.

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this newsletter are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated or copied.

Certified Texas Nursery Professional #1282