Easy Things to Do in Your Garden This January for a Beautiful 2026

Garden winter interest. Landscape of winter perennials and ornamental grasses covered in snow. Cone flower, agastache, pennisetum

(Image credit: Maryviolet/Getty Images)

Jump to category:

1. Plant Bare Root Roses
2. Mulch and Prep Garden Beds
3. Keep Bird Feeders and Bird Baths Topped Up
Plus: Pot Up Pansies/Violas for Color Now

Every single January, gardeners up and down the US hear the same refrain: order your seeds, stat. And while there’s plenty of truth in that, there’s also a surprising amount of work to be done in the garden over the bleak midwinter.

If that phrase scares you, try calling it ‘things to do’, because these really are the sort of happy little tasks some people refer to as pottering about the garden (depending, of course, on which USDA Planting Zone you’re in – it probably isn’t as much fun if you find yourself wading through six feet’s worth of snow).

It’s January. Nature is still in hibernation mode, and we deserve to prioritize joy and rest while we can. With that in mind, then, here are three simple, deeply satisfying tasks that will make a real difference to your outdoor space – plus one bright idea to inject a little color into the winter months.

1. Plant Bare Root Roses

Pink delicate rose flowers under the first winter snow in the garden.

January is one of the best months to plant bare root roses, largely because you always want to do this while the plants are fully dormant. These roses are sold without soil around their roots, which makes them easier and cheaper to buy, not to mention simpler to plant as well.

Buy something like this stunning heirloom rose from Amazon, then, and all that's left to do is dig a hole, plant, backfill, and water well – job done.

Just take care to soak the roots in water for a few hours before planting, and choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil. This should be all you need to give your blooms a head start so they’re ready to burst into growth when things warm up.

2. Mulch and Prep Garden Beds

Bare soil through winter is vulnerable to erosion, compaction and weed invasion. Applying a 2-3 inch layer of mulch (and it doesn’t matter which type of mulch you use it, be it compost, shredded bark, or well-rotted leaf matter) is the easiest way to protect the soil and reduce the amount of work you’ll have to do in spring. Win!

Back to the Roots

Organic Premium Mulch

SuperMoss

Coco Mulch

EZ Straw

Straw Seeding Mulch

If you’re up for it, and it’s not too chilly out, you could also take a beat while mulching to clear spent plants and weeds from beds. If not, at least use this as an opportunity to take a good long look at your garden and plan out any new layouts, pathways or feature planting areas for the year ahead.

You know what they say, after all: failing to prepare is preparing to fail!

3. Keep Bird Feeders and Bird Baths Topped Up

Oh sure, it might not seem like this one will directly affect your garden soil or plants, but keeping wildlife well fed through the chillier months is probably the easiest thing to do in your garden if you want a thriving ecosystem.

It’s also a beautiful way to stay connected to your outdoor space, and those birds will repay you with cheerful company and natural pest control once the seasons change, too.

Just take care to stick to winter bird feeding essentials. Try a few bags of Happy Wings Nyjer Seeds for Wild Birds from Amazon or Old Potters Sunflower Hearts from Walmart.

Plus: Pot Up Pansies/Violas for Color Now

Bright blue and purple pansies in patterned ceramic planter

Craving color in January? Then pansies and violas are your friends.

These hardy little plants stand up to cold temperatures and will flower through winter in mild climates (or on a sheltered porch), so plant a few up in containers with good drainage and rich compost.

You can bring them out on warmer days for a splash of cheerful petals, not to mention a nice contrast to that frigid and dormant landscape outside. Even a simple evergreen number, like ivy, can be potted up to great effect at this time of year.

Once you’ve ticked off all of these easy things to do in your garden this January, you can get back to that all-consuming task of ordering and organizing seeds.

Even if you’ve ordered yours already, now is the time to fine-tune your list: check what grew well last year, what you ran out of, and what you dreamed of growing but never quite got to. A little early planning now? It means you’ll hit the ground running in spring, which is exactly the vibe we all want for the season of hope and renewal.

So, sure, January might be quiet in the garden, but it’s far from idle, and taking a few smart steps now means a more beautiful and productive 2026. Time to get cracking…

Kayleigh is an enthusiastic (sometimes too enthusiastic!) gardener and has worked in media for over a decade. She previously served as digital editor at Stylist magazine, and has written extensively for Ideal Home, Woman & Home, Homes & Gardens, and a handful of other titles. Kayleigh is passionate about wildlife-friendly gardening, and recently cancelled her weekend plans to build a mini pond when her toddler found a frog living in their water barrel. As such, her garden – designed around the stunning magnolia tree at its centre – is filled to the brim with pollinator-friendly blooms, homemade bird feeders, and old logs for insects to nest in.