Tis the Season
By Faye Agner

JANUARY 2005

I am back now and ready to go again. Many thanks to all who helped me while I was under the weather. Special thanks to Cheryll Kinsley and John Van Meirt.

Now that the holiday season is over, the real catalogs start to appear in the mail. These are the ones with all of the beautiful pictures of produce and flowers you long to see in your own yard. Glance through them, and then put them aside for a rainy day when nothing can be done in the yard. Plan your garden and then get your seeds ordered. Read the catalog hype carefully. You may be able to sort out some of the information and get a bit of amusement in the process. As a general rule, add ten days to the harvest time given to allow for our area. Read carefully and enjoy.

January is the time to begin looking for the creepy crawly visitors in the yard. Inspect your spruce trees for the small green aphids that caused the previous season’s needles to drop. If you find them, check with the Whatcom County Extension Office for control methods. It is also the time of year to consider your dormant spraying. As a general rule, you will need a minimum of one spray and up to three, depending on your problem. Consult your local nursery person. When you get your spray home, read the label carefully and follow the directions exactly.

Many deciduous plants that bear fruit and flowers in the spring need pruning now and through February. The reasons for pruning are many: to cut off the sick and dead branches that are no longer hidden by leaves, to affect the yield and size of the fruit, to affect flower production, and to improve overall health and form in preparation for spring growth. Some basic guidelines include cutting branches that cross or grow too close together, allowing light and air in. Be sure and cut the branches that grow straight up from the top branches of the fruit trees. These branches are not only unproductive but, left on the tree, they soon shade out lower growth, causing thinning, dieback and reduced fruit production. Generally, severe pruning will produce larger flowers or fruit, while lighter pruning will produce more of the above, but smaller. With the winds we have been having it is a good idea to keep watch on your trees for broken branches that need care.

Needs for pruning chores include a pair of shears that can be used for general work, long handled shears, also called loppers, and a pruning saw. When purchasing your tool, go for quality over quantity. It will pay you in the long run. It is a good idea to disinfect your cutting tools between each tree or bush so that if there is a disease present, it will not be spread.

Speaking of tools, the days you can’t work out of doors is the time to go over your tools and give them any care they need. Clean and disinfect your tools. Oil and sharpen those that need it. Sand and paint the handles of your tools in bright colors so there are no splinters and you will be able to find them.

If you have roses or trees on your list for your yard plan, now is the time to buy them bare root. Don’t buy by price alone. For trees, look for older, bigger, and nicely branching stock. Generally speaking older trees (two and three years old), though more expensive, will bear fruit and flowers sooner than younger ones. And, though you might easily find bare-root plants sold pre-packaged in plastic bags, shop for stock sitting freely in raised beds filled with sawdust. Also try to purchase bare-root before it’s grown leaves. These can be planted anytime if the ground is not frozen. They will establish themselves quickly in your garden

Know the signs of an oncoming hard frost. Nights will be still, dry and clear enough to see the stars. Be aware of frost pockets. Hills, hollows and structures all affect temperatures. Cold air rolls down a slope and settles when it reaches the lowest spot or is stopped by a wall. These low and exposed spots are colder and stay cold longer. In this event, create shelters. Move container plants beneath overhangs and cover plants that are out in the open. For smaller plants, place a cardboard box with the bottom cut out over a plant; open the top during the day to allow in light and air. For larger plants, use burlap or shade cloth around and over three tall stakes surrounding the plant.
Check the mulch around shrubs and trees and make sure it isn’t right up against the stem or trunks. Mice may use the protection of the mulch to eat away at the bark and the cambium. Keep all mulches several inches away from the base of the plants.

Be sure to check that any plants under the shelter of the overhang of your home have enough moisture in the soil. It is not unusual for such plants to suffer drought damage in the winter. Dig down past the top inch or so to make sure the entire root zones are moist and, if they are not, water them.

Lawns need special care also. Try to avoid walking on a frozen lawn. It may damage the grass. Rake up any fallen leaves that pile on the lawn to prevent suffocation of grass. Scatter snow instead of piling it up on the lawn next to the drives and walks. After a wet spell, inspect the lawn for waterlogged areas and make a note for future remedial action. Don’t do anything now as you will do more harm than good.

Rhubarb roots are completely dormant and can be divided to provide more plants, or discard the central woody parts and replant young crowns to revive older clumps. Dig over the plot and incorporate plenty of organic mulch with a good general fertilizer. Mulch the plot with a 12 to 18 inch layer of compost or strawy manure. Don’t harvest from young plants until next year to allow for strong development.

Remember our feathered friends by supplying food and water for them.

In light of recent world developments, maybe you can find a corner to plant a red, white and blue arrangement of petunias, pansies or sweet peas.

Have a good new year and do the Asian way and have all your debts paid so you can start anew.

WHO AM I?
I have bold leaves and large clusters of long lasting flowers in white, pink, red, or blue. I bloom in the summer and on into the fall. Flower clusters may contain sterile flowers (conscious, with large, petal-like sepals) or fertile flowers (small ,starry petaled); or I may feature a cluster of small fertile flowers surrounded by a ring of sterile ones. Sterile flowers last for along time, (often holding up for months), gradually fading in color. My colors are affected by soil pH. In general, I come from the Asian countries.

October was cone flower.