January Gardening Tips

Tired of the winter look in your yard? Color your garden with alyssum, calendula, Chinese forget-me-nots, dianthus, Phlox, pansies, petunias, & snapdragons. You can also plant ornamental kale, Swiss chard, Osaka mustard cardoon in fertile well-draining soil. Remember to water before a freeze. To protect the entire plant cover with a blanket or sheet, then add a layer of plastic. Be sure not to let the plastic touch the foliage. Or you can just purchase frost cloth.  You can plant pre-chilled tulips in the first half of the month in a sandy, organically enriched soil. Add bone meal or superphosphate to each hole. You can plant carrots, lettuce and mustard in prepared vegetable beds or among your ornamental. Start Tomatoes indoors, and transplant outdoors in late February or by mid March. Prune crape myrtle. Avoid topping. This heavy pruning not only leads to an ugly tree, it can lead to diminished health. Do not prune azalea or hydrangeas. Even though the hydrangeas may look especially bad, you will take away the spring blooms. Do not prune hibiscus. Leave freeze damaged wood for now. It will protect the green wood farther down the branches during the next freeze. Prune to green (live) woo we are out of freeze danger. Shop at the special winter fruit sales to start your own home orchard

Article written by Gail Branca