Monthly Garden Gossip

January, 2012

Welcome to our garden! We're proud of our hard work and want to share the reward with you, so here is what's going on in the garden this month..Central Alabama

January is the last month you will be able to plant wildflower seed and still get some flowers before it gets to hot for them. Most of the fall and winter planted wildflower seed need some cold weather in order to germinate. So get planting if you are going to or just wait and we will have plants of larkspur, batchelor buttons, corn poppies, and California poppies as well as many more. The plants are available right now. Plant right away when you buy them so they will have enough time to grow and flower.

Most of our fruit trees should arrive by the end of January. We already have quite a few things is stock. A good selection of apples as well as well as blackberries and blueberries. All can be planted now and will benefit from the cool weather and moist soils. Do remember to water newly planted trees when there is no rainfall.

For established fruit trees, January is the month we apply a dormant oil spray to help kill over wintering insects such as scale, mites and aphids. Remember to spray with dormant oil only if the temperature is above 40 degrees. Note: Do NOT apply oil sprays within 48 hours of hard freezes or temperatures below 30F, because freeze damage may be increased. There is an additional spray of copper that may be applied for disease control, fungal and bacterial. To be on the safe side, separate the different sprays by three weeks time. Remember no planting, pruning or spraying within 48 hours of a hard freeze.

Keep cleaning up and muching your perennial borders and herb gardens. Now is a good time to add lime to the vegetable garden as well as compost

Keep fertilizing pansies with a complete liquid fertilizer once a week. A high phosphate fertilizer will really make them bloom. Calcium nitrate or blood meal are also good choices to use on pansies and snapdragons. Fertilize your Lenten Roses with bone meal and lime for increased bloom. Fertilize your winter vegetable garden with 13-13-13. Don't use time release fertilizer since it doesn't work when the temperatures are below 70 degrees.

Now is a good time to choose and plant new camellias when they are in bloom. Fertilize camellias in late winter with an azalea-camellia fertilizer or a general all purpose fertilizer such as 13-13-13. Apply one half pound for each well established plant six to eight feet tall.

Remember to cover your citrus if your trees are planted in the ground or if in pots move them to a garage or other protected location. The pictures to the right are the tunnels we have created for our trees that are in containers. The trees need the sunshine so don't leave your trees indoors or covered any longer than you have to. You don't want the tree dropping leaves because it is not getting enough light. The winter cloth that we use is breathable and can be left on for a few days as long as the temperatures are low but it also should be removed when it warms up.

Start planning your annual flowers and vegetable garden during the month of January. Tomato and pepper seed can be planted toward the end of this month so don't wait to buy seed. Snow peas, English peas and snap peas should be planted in January. Cool season crops such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and kale can be started indoors or in a greenhouse at the end of the month so they will be ready to transplant into the garden about the middle of March.

Most needled evergreens do not need regular pruning, however, if yours is getting out of hand now is the time to cut them back. Prune espaliered trees and shrubs if needed to retain shape. Do NOT prune azaleas or rhododendrons now as you will be cutting off the flower buds. Wait until after they bloom. You may prune your Crepe Myrtles and Lilac Chaste trees. Prune hollies early before they set their flower buds. Wait until after the last frost to prune Butterfly bushes. Prune repeat flowering roses about the midlle of February.

Don't forget to feed the birds this winter. Feeding birds can be very rewarding and beneficial to a wide variety of species. If you are trying to attract a particular type of bird learn what type of food they like. Sunflower seeds are favorite of many wild birds. It attracts cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, goldfinches, purple finches, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches. It's good to put most of your sunflower seeds in hanging feeders. It's safer from squirrels and raccoons that way.

Are thoughts of fragrant sweet peas running through your head? You can plant seeds now or we have the plants ready for you at the nursery. Sweet peas love cold weather and do very poorly when the weather starts to get warm. This is the ideal time to plant them so they will flower when the weather still is cool. Remember sweet peas will need something to support them. In the photo we have used a 16 foot long cattle panel. It has worked beautifully.

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