Works in the garden in January
Requested by one of our readers was an article about maintenance works throughout the year.
I thought it would be nice to make a monthly series out of this.
However, you will find it more boring and unspecified as you might expect it ^_-
Here are the following parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Because the life of a gardener is very much tied to the weather and seasons, it is essential to note the weather during the month described.
Japan is a long island, stretching from the North-East to the South-West and crosses several degrees of latitude. Plus it has a mountain range running from north to south, which will create different weathers in the west and east.
I will start each article with the average weather of that month focussing on Tokyo and Kyoto if possible.
The weather in January:
While areas like Hokkaido and Niigata are already hidden under a quite amount of snow, Tokyo and Kyoto are mostly only cold!
In Tokyo you will find bright blue skies and sunshine and almost no rain during this season.
The temperatures range from 15 °C (59°F)during the day to -2 °C (28°F) during the nights.
This means, the gardeners can get a lot of work done!
The works, which will be done in January:
Collecting fallen leaves from deciduous trees
Some trees let their leaves fall very late in the year like Platanus orientalis or Zelkova serrata.
Cutting trees along the streets
Especially Ginkgo trees.
Cutting trees and shrubs in the garden
One main pruning-season is from late autumn. When the gardener couldn’t finish all requests before the turning of the years, he will continue with this work in January.
Doing new plantings and improvement works
Although it might sound odd to people from Northern Europe and similar, in Japan a lot of new gardens are planted during winter.
Thanks to the mild conditions, this is possible (in Kanto region) without any problems.
Time consuming works like rebuilding bamboo fences can also be done in winter.
Tree-planting during snow
Major cleaning works in the company
It is common to do a big cleaning in the beginning of the new year. This also applies to companies.
Tools are cleaned as well as the whole company rooms. Preferably this is done on one of the few rainy days.
Repairing damages done by snow
If heavy snow falls, the gardener has to cut trees damaged by the weight of it.
Cutting bamboo
Although it is already a little bit late (you should do that in November, better December), you can still cut bamboo (Mosochiku or Matake) for the purpose of making garden elements like fences.
With twelve years of professional landscaping experience under her belt, Anika Ogusu is your perfect guide to the world of Japanese gardens. Her love of nature began early, in the woods near her childhood home and the garden of her grandmother’s house. During her teenage years she developed a strong interest in Japanese culture, and after university she decided to combine her love of Japan and gardens into a profession. Anika started her career as chief gardener in charge of the perennial valley at the Botanical Garden in Hamburg, Germany, then moved to Tokyo in pursuit of her dream. For two years she apprenticed under local landscape designers and learned the art of Japanese garden design, construction and maintenance. Now, in partnership with Real Japanese Gardens (www.japanesegardens.jp), her wish is to spread the magic of Japanese gardens to the rest of the world. Her in-depth guide books on gardens throughout Japan are available in eBook format or paperback. In her free time, Anika enjoys exploring her adopted country (especially green moss gardens), and soaking up nature and any details that interest her.
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With twelve years of professional landscaping experience under her belt, Anika Ogusu is your perfect guide to the world of Japanese gardens. Her love of nature began early, in the woods near her childhood home and the garden of her grandmother’s house. During her teenage years she developed a strong interest in Japanese culture, and after university she decided to combine her love of Japan and gardens into a profession. Anika started her career as chief gardener in charge of the perennial valley at the Botanical Garden in Hamburg, Germany, then moved to Tokyo in pursuit of her dream. For two years she apprenticed under local landscape designers and learned the art of Japanese garden design, construction and maintenance. Now, in partnership with Real Japanese Gardens (www.japanesegardens.jp), her wish is to spread the magic of Japanese gardens to the rest of the world. Her in-depth guide books on gardens throughout Japan are available in eBook format or paperback. In her free time, Anika enjoys exploring her adopted country (especially green moss gardens), and soaking up nature and any details that interest her.
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