ll - Friday, January 5, 1990 - North Shore News _ LIFESTYLES GARDENING DOESN’T STOP IN JANUARY New year is no time to take a MAY | take this opportunity to offer my sincere wishes for your happiness in the coming year and to welcome you all to the 1990s. NOW GET TO WORE! It always ends up that way doesn’t it? A few quick pleas- antries and then out comes the whip. (Now there’s one for the Hmmm Book.) After all, isn’t that what New Year's is all about — “Hi, glad to see ya, now get to work.’ In keeping with these lovely traditions, here are a few things to consider for the month of January: ° Protect tender plants from winter frost damage ~— If you are thinking what ! think you are thinking, stop thinking. Even though Jack Frost seems to be tak- ing his vacation in other climes this winter, don't get cocky. Remember last year; it started with a whimper and ended with The Alaska Blaster. Mulch the roots and lower stems of half-hardy plants such as perennial fuchsias, fatsias, etc. with a layer of leaves or peat. Recently planted shrubs will be more susceptible to damage than established plantings, some extra care should be taken with these. If the weather should turn really nasty, an application of an an- tidesiccant such as Wilt-Pruf could prevent frost burn on some vul- nerable plants. This would include most broad-leaved evergreens such as rhododendrons and fatsias. © Protect spring flowering bulbs — As many of you have noticed, this mild weather is causing spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocus to ap- pear early. Do not panic. These plants are built to take it. FAMOUS BRAND NAMES INCLUDE: Sher Peppa Bassett|C \\2Zenztz F PALLISER However, if the weather should get substantially coider {eg: the frost does not dissipate during the day for three or more days), a few precautions wouldn't hurt. Mulch with leaves or peat urtil the worst has past. Do not allow the mulch to re- main around your plants and bulbs too long because this can cause the development of weaker stems and invite the appearance of some pest problems. © Stake new plants against wind and snow damage — High winds can not only uproot newly planted trees and shrubs, they can also slow down the rooting process. Even if the tree or shrub remains upright, the rocking motion can slow the formation of new roots. The best way to protect plants against snow damage is to knock it off them before damage occurs. If this cannot be done, tie up the limbs of those evergreens that could catch and hold heavy snow loads. ® Continue garden cleanups — A little extra work keeping it clean now will reduce the workload needed to fight pests and diseases in the summer. Do not leave any ‘winter retreats’ such as leaves and debris for pests to hide away in. Remove weeds as they appear. © Compost maintenance — An efficient compost requires air. water and high temperatures. Ad- ding a little high nitrogen fertilizer such as blood meal and turning it over the garden gate Geoff Tobiasson over at least once per month dur- ing winter will maintain healthy microbial action. @ Sharpen pruning equipment and the lawn mower — If you don’t have the tools needed to do your own sharpening, take them in now along with your lawn mower and other power equipment. Waiting until you need them will put you in the lineup with the other procrastinators. © Prune trees and shrubs that require dormant pruning — Shrubs such as roses and those that re- quire minimal pruning could and should be left until early March. Deciduous trees and shrubs with limbs larger than one inch in di- Guniv ameter that need to be pruned should be done in January. Because pruning tends to be a major concern for many of you, } will include a separate article on that subject later this month. © Apply dormant sprays — Lime-sulphur and dormant oil are very effective, minimally toxic sprays useful in the elimination of over-wintering pests such as spider mites, scale, apple scab and more. Best results are achieved when the weather is dry for 48 hours after application. (Another one for the Hmmm Book.) © Geranium cuttings — ! believe this to be the best time of the year to take cuttings from geraniums, pelargoniums and fuchsias. People advising us to do it in November usually have greenhouses to keep their cuttings healthy uatil spring; most of us do not. If you were clever enough to have stored a few plants last fail (or if you have a few in the garden that this mild winter has not as yet damaged), do it now. You will be happier with the results. © Garden centre seed stocks are in — The early bird catches the choicest varieties. An early visi can offer more than an assurance of obtaining some of those seeds strains that are always hard to find FOR UP later in the year. Some varieties of bedding out plants (seeded gerani- ums, impatiens, etc.) require an earlier start in order to get the most of the season. © Work on garden design — Now is the time to do your garden- ing with pencil, paper and eraser instead of raincoat, shovel and dollars. If you were to take the time to plan your garden on paper before you started work, the work you start will be easier and Jess ex- pensive. © Read the book — Although I have tried to touch upon most of the areas requiring attention over the coming month, as always there is much more to learn. A trip to your local library will offer you a comfortable and informative method of passing away those days that are totally unfit for gardening. I recently had the opportunity to re-acquaint myself with David Tarrant’s book Highrise Hor- ticulture: A Guide to Gardening in Small Spaces. Although first released over 10 years ago, David and Whitecap Books have obviously worked hard to make this re-release more up- to-date and of higher interest to a wider audience. It is full of sound advice for the indoor and patio gardener.