Pulaski County Home and Garden
Gardening by Beth Phelps
Active Years Garden Checklist - January 2005
Holiday Leftovers - Holiday festivities are over and life returns to
the normal routine. What do you do with your poinsettias, amaryllis and other
holiday plants? Remove the foil wrap; this will help insure good water drainage
from the pot. Amaryllis are easy, simply remove the flower stalks and allow the
foliage to grow. Give these new leaves as much sunlight as possible. Poinsettias
are a little more challenging. They require lots of light and even soil
moisture, but not too wet, to keep the foliage from dropping off one leaf at a
time leaving a naked sculpture instead of a plant. If you can keep green foliage
on the plant until April, when the danger of frost has past, both poinsettias
and amaryllis can be moved outside to bright light, fertilize and water
throughout the summer to produce the prospect of flowers next year. Both require
special treatment beginning in early September for holiday flowers.
Bulbs - If some of your spring blooming bulbs were overlooked and not
planted during the hectic holiday season - get them planted as soon as possible.
Daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, tulips and all spring blooming bulbs require a
chilling period to break dormancy and insure beautiful blooms.
Daffodil foliage will begin to emerge but do not worry. This foliage will be
fine, even as the temperature dips a few degrees below freezing, and the flower
buds are well protected before they emerge above ground and begin to show color.
Pansies and Violas - Pansies and violas may be frozen as you leave the
house on cold, January mornings only to thaw out and continue to bloom as the
temperature rises. During warmer periods, throughout the winter, give these cool
season annuals a little fertilizer. The liquid fertilizers are easy to use and
provide nutrients that are readily available. Do not forget your outside
container plants; they will reward you for water and fertilization.
Extreme Cold - During extreme cold or ice and snow it is best to leave
landscape plants alone. You run the risk of damaging all plants - tree, shrubs,
perennials and annuals by handling them when it is extremely cold. Allow the ice
or snow to melt as the temperature rises. If the branches are weeping or appear
to be damaged do not hurry out to prune. In this case, procrastination is good.
Allow the plants to recover as the temperature warms even into early spring,
often the damage is not as severe as it first appears.
Vegetables - One of the benefits of living and gardening in the
Southeast is the harvest of fresh veggies just about year around. Collard, kale,
spinach, turnips and other greens can be harvest from the garden throughout the
winter if planted in late fall. Leaf lettuces and other salad greens can be
planted beginning in mid-January through March. They will need the protection of
row cover or a sheet on extremely cold nights but a fresh harvest for the dinner
salad makes it well worth the effort.
Birds - Our feathered friends appreciate the supplemental food we
provide, especially in the winter, but water is even more important during
periods of extreme cold. When birdbaths, shallow water features and even puddles
freeze birds are left without. Inexpensive heaters are available for birdbaths
to insure that water is available everyday.
Spring Preview - Cut a few long branches from your forsythia and / or
flowering quince, put them in a vase, bring them inside and enjoy! The flower
buds will open in the warmth of the house giving you a peek at the spring to
come. Camellia flowers floating in a beautiful, shallow bowl will also cheer up
any dreary January day.
Wish Lists - Gardening catalogs begin arriving this month, just in
time to begin planning your gardening year. On those gray, cold January days you
can begin planning your spring garden and making your wish list. The Internet is
another great resource for checking out what’s new or finding two or three new
plants with potential for your garden.
This article was Originally Published in
Active Years
Magazine
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