This is a great month for planning and preparing for spring while the weather is cooler and much of your garden may be dormant.
Here are a few helpful tips:
Work in the Garden – Primary tasks include major pruning of dormant fruit and shade trees, vines and rose bushes.
Planting and Transplanting – Plant dormant deciduous stone fruit trees, shade trees, grapes, berries, hardy perennials, roses, shrubs and wisteria now through the spring. Water thoroughly but don’t overwater; cooler temperatures, shorter days and wet periods will decrease the need for watering.
Bedding Plants – Refresh your cool-season annuals with calendulas, cyclamen, dianthus, pansies, Iceland poppies, ranunculus, snapdragons, sweet alyssum and violas when available.
Vegetables, Fruit and Herbs – Clean and prepare beds by adding planting mix and mulch and turning the soil over. Now is a great time to plant strawberries.
Lawns – Be sure you have adjusted your watering days and times. Your lawn should be receiving 30 to 40 percent less water during these cooler months.
Pest Control – Deciduous woody plants, particularly fruit trees and roses, need spraying now with a dormant oil spray to avoid many spring insect and bacterial infestations. Repeat spraying at least one more time before buds open. Bait or hand-pick snails. Pick up fallen leaves and spent flowers.
Roses – After pruning the roses back, use a lime-sulphur spray to prevent diseases. Apply a 6-20-20 fertilizer to promote strong roots.
A note about purchasing bare-root plants:
While you can purchase bare-root roses and deciduous fruit trees in stores now, consider waiting a month or two and buy potted ones from the nursery. Many will be in bloom then and you can choose the ones you know you like. Also, you can see and pick the ones with the most vigorous growth!
