The Garden Notebook: January | What I’m Thinking About Now
January is when I keep the garden close in my thoughts, even while it sleeps outside.
This is the month I sit with a cup of tea, open my notebook, and gently get ahead of the season — not by doing everything, but by remembering the right things at the right time.
Here’s what I’m paying attention to now:
First, seeds.
If there’s a variety you truly love — the sweet pea that always climbs beautifully, the dahlia you still think about in August — order it now. The most reliable varieties sell out quietly, and it’s such a comfort to know they’re already waiting.
These are the seed houses I return to year after year:
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Floret Flower Farm — exceptional cut flowers and thoughtful growing notes
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Johnny’s Selected Seeds — dependable, practical, and very well trialed
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Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds — for older varieties and vegetables with character
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Select Seeds — especially good for traditional cottage garden flowers
- This is a complete list of all my favorite seed suppliers:
Then, one flower to understand properly.
Each year I choose one thing to learn well. Not everything — just one. How it grows, what it rewards, when it needs patience. Gardening becomes far more satisfying this way.
Next, tools.
January is when I replace what annoyed me last season. A pair of snips that never quite worked. Gloves that didn’t last. These small decisions matter more than we admit.
Quiet essentials I always have on hand:
And finally, reading.
This is when I learn. A good gardening book in winter steadies the entire year ahead. It saves you from impulse and helps you trust your eye later on.
A few I often reach for:
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The Well-Tempered Garden by Christopher Lloyd — wisdom and humor
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The Cutting Garden by Sarah Raven — practical and generous
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Second Nature by Michael Pollan — to remember why growing things matters
You don’t need to do much right now.
You just need to remember a few things — in the right order.
These are the books, seed houses, and small tools I rely on — the ones that quietly make the rest of the season feel calmer when it finally begins.
Consider this a note from someone who already put it on the list.
— Mrs. Mayfair
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