Newick Horticultural Society Blog

Happy New Year

Let’s hope that the weather for us gardeners is kinder than in 2024 and that we don’t suffer the severe winters of long ago….. here are a few fun facts about January past:-

January regularly produces frost, ice and snow and is the chilliest month of the year in Britain. St Hilary's feast day on 13th January has gained the reputation of being the coldest day of the year due to past cold events starting on or around this date. One of the most severe winters in history began around 13 January in 1205, when the Thames in London froze over ……. and ale and wine turned to solid ice and were sold by weight! In 1086, a great frost also started spreading over the country on St Hilary's Day.

January is a very important month in our western calendar – it’s the start of a New Year and for many of us that means resolutions and starting new habits after the festive season.

January was partly named after Janus – who was the two-faced god. He was also known as the ‘god of doors’, as well as transitions. Pretty fitting given the transition into a new year, but January’s name actually goes a little deeper than that. It’s named after the word ‘ianua’, which roughly translated from Latin means ‘door’.

Sparrowhawks are common garden visitors during January as they hunt around bird tables and feeders. Indeed, January is a good month for bird of prey watching - hen harriers, marsh harriers, buzzards, peregrines and owls are now more evident.