January:

Last chance to plant spring bulbs!

Continue planting dormant deciduous trees and cold hardy shrubs. Do not rigidly stake young trees; swaying in the wind is required for them to develop strong trunks.

Begin planting any new landscaping or flower beds for the coming season. Order early for best selection.

Water if the weather has been dry; trees and shrubs need water throughout the winter.

Mow fescue lawns as needed to 3" height.

Prepare planting beds now and be ready for spring. Till the soil and add in beneficial amendments such as compost, lime and chopped-up leaves.

Pansies: remove any spent flowers, and towards the end of the month, begin fertilizing them every two weeks with a weak fertilizer solution of one tablespoon of 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 in a gallon of water.

Remove tree bands that were applied in November to control canker worms.

Cut back dead foliage from liriope and mondo grass.

Mow fescue lawns as needed to 3" height. Apply lime early in the month and nitrogen containing fertilizer to lawn the last half of the month. No more nitrogen should be used until the end of September because it increases the occurrence of fungal diseases during hot weather. (Zoysia and Bermuda lawns should not be fertilized until early May).

Lawn Weed Control: apply a broadleaf weed control product before March; liquids control better than the granular types included Weed'n'Feed preparations.

Prune trees and shrubs, except early spring-flowering varieties: remove dead, damaged, or diseased branches; also branches that rub against each other and any inward growing branches. On flowering shrubs, remove older canes to keep the plant rejuvenated and flowering: up to 1/3 of the total wood can be removed in a given year. Crepe Myrtles: cut off the flowering heads, and prune to maintain shape or size; DO NOT "TOP" the tree. Cut butterfly bushes back to 12-15" height.

Clean up and remove debris and dead foliage from planting beds and shrubs.

Fertilize spring bulbs when the first growth appears.

Water trees and shrubs if the weather has been dry.

Fertilize trees, shrubs, and perennials with slow release balanced fertilizer. Don't fertilize azaleas or camellias until they have finished blooming.

Refresh mulch around trees and in planting beds. Mulch should be 2-3" deep and should not touch the bark. Trees should have a 5' diameter mulched area around them to protect from mower or trimmer damage. Old mulch can be turned into the soil as an amendment. If there is evidence of insects in the old mulch, discard it.

Summer woody ornamentals such as althea, butterfly bush, crepe myrtle, oleander, hydrangea and vitex flower on new wood, so late this month is a good time to prune to stimulate new springtime branches.

Prune roses, cutting all flower stems ¼" above a complete leaf (containing 5 leaflets), leaving two complete leaves below the cut bud. Use clean, sharp pruners and cut on a slant toward the center of the plant; discard pruned material.

Rhododendrons: The smaller the leaf, the more tolerant it is of winter sunlight. Large-leafed varieties are damaged by bright winter light.

Azaleas: Early bloomer to watch for in March include 'Coral Bells,' 'Snow,' 'Sherwood Red,' and 'Hino Crimson.' Azaleas prefer bright light buy not direct sun, and a high organic, well drained soil. They are susceptible to root rot.

Check hollies, junipers, azaleas, and boxwoods for cool-weather mites. Hold a clear white sheet of paper under a branch and observe for any tiny moving objects that fall off. Or look for leaves stippled with tiny yellow spots. Their damage won't appear until mid-summer, but they must be treated during cool weather. Spray with insecticidal, horticultural oil, Dursban, or Cygon, or an organic control such as Sunspray.

Lawn Care: Fertilize for the first time before mid-March. Crabgrass pre-emergent control products should be applied in early March when the forsythias are in bloom. It is effective for 90 to 120 days. (Note: if spring seeding was done, you must wait at least 60 days before using a pre-emergent product). If you miss this time, try a crabgrass seedling killer such as Dimension. Increase lawn-mowing height to 3 ½".

Feeding: Use slow release balanced fertilizers top-dressed around each plant. Don't use high nitrogen fertilizers because they stimulate rapid, succulent growth; new growth that develops too quickly will be susceptible to insects and diseases.

Collect branches of flowering trees and shrubs for fresh indoor arrangements.

Spring bulbs: When their bloom is over, cut off the flower stem and allow the foliage to mature and die gradually. This allows the bulb to rejuvenate for next year's bloom. Do not fertilize at this time; wait until fall, and again when the first spring growth appears.

Summer flowering bulbs that over wintered in the garden should be fertilized when their shoots begin to break out of the soil.

Tender bulbs such as cannas, caladiums, gladioli, and dahlias can be planted after the danger of cold weather has passed.

Lawn care for fescue lawns, increase mower height to 3 ½". Mowing may be needed 2 times/week.

Grubs: Apply insecticide in early May when the larvae are feeding just below the soil surface prior to June emergence.

Annuals can now be planted with good chance of avoiding frost damage. Replace pansy beds with summer flowers since they'll become unattractive in the summer heat. Remember: do not plant impatiens in the same spot where you had pansies; they are host to the same soil disease and can cross-infect one another.

Supplemental Irrigation: To help prevent the spread of diseases, as much as possible, water under the plants and not on them to keep from soaking the foliage. Also, water in the morning so the rising sun will quickly evaporate any moisture than might splash on the leaves.

Traps: If you use Japanese beetle traps,, locate them far away from any ornamentals you don't want chewed up. These traps attract beetles, and many of these unwanted pests have a snack before they check in but don't check out!

Prune off water sprouts and suckers on trees. Hand-prune shrubs to maintain size and shape.

Remove old flowers from perennials and annuals to lengthen their bloom period.

Fertilize annuals.

Your pre-emergent crabgrass preventer has expired. Do not reapply now or your fall grass seeding will be affected. Watch for crabgrass the rest of the summer and remove it by hand.

Kill broadleaf lawn weeds in preparation for fall reseeding of fescue lawns.

Annuals: Plant mums and ornamental cabbage.

Peonies: Now is the best time to plant peony crowns. Be sure not to set the crowns more than 2 inches below the ground so the winter chill will stimulate them to flower next year.

Plant new shrubs and trees in fall.

Plan for tree banding between November 1 and November 14: band oaks and other susceptible trees with Tanglefoot to prevent spring canker worms in affected areas.

Plan pruning before leaves drop; mark deciduous trees and shrubs for limbs you'll remove this winter.

Divide perennials that have overgrown, are dying in the center, or failed to bloom normally. Examples are daylilies, irises, phlox, daisies, cannas, and others.

Cut stalks from hostas to the ground when foliage goes dormant and yellow.

Mums: after a heavy frost cut them back to about 6" high and mulch to stimulate root growth and strong spring foliage.

Planting: Now is the prime time for perennials and woody ornamentals.

Lawn Care: Reduce mowing height to 3" during the cool weather months. Fertilizer should be applied the end of this month.

Vines: If you wisteria went wild this year, now is a good time to severely prune it back. Wild grape vines can also go wild in the woodland garden, but now is a good time to take advantage of their "born to run" habit by cutting for seasonal grape vine wreaths.

Deciduous trees and shrubs form the framework of the garden. They often reveal their character more plainly in winter, when their particular pattern of trunks and branches is projected against a backdrop of white. Weeping trees and shrubs emphasize line in the landscape.

Outdoor architecture also adds visual interest. Consider the framework of your yard - paths, walls, fences, hedges and edging. Is there a focal point such as a bench, arbor, trellis or birdbath? Capitalize on the ability of structures to draw attention by adding plants to complement them.

Texture piques our interest in the winter garden. Everything from the crinkled leaves of ironwood to the prickly needles of Scotch pine to the shaggy bark of eastern red cedar invite our touch. Creamy, curling bark of birches combines well with dark green conifers.
Evergreens add texture, color and mass. Covered with snow, conifers suggest Christmas-card beauty. The Japanese call evergreens "snow flowers" since they appear to bloom in winter, with tufts of snow on the tips of each branch.

Plants that produce fruit not only add color to the landscape but also attract birds, which find them a valuable source of winter food. Holly is a good choice for the winter garden because it has berries for birds and also can be used for Christmas decorating. A hardy shrub tolerant of severely cold winters, winterberry has black stems covered with clusters of bright berries well into the winter.

Although some fruits fall off or are quickly stripped by the birds, berried treasures do add color from late fall into early winter on flowering crab-apple trees, snowberry, American mountain ash, high-bush cranberry, Korean barberry and shrub roses.

Selecting and designing a spot for your winter garden is a challenge just right for February. When the temperature hovers near zero, you can sit comfortably in your favorite chair and survey the scene. Do you want to admire the beauty from one or two windows in the house? Do you want to show off your landscape to passersby? Or do you want to enjoy your winter garden from the walkway?

Consider plant size, growing requirements like light and moisture, shape, texture, color and fruiting habits. Concentrate on plants that are attractive in other seasons as well - plants with colorful fall foliage.

As you look deeper into the dormant landscape, you will begin to appreciate the exquisite tracery of bare branches, the delicate color of curling birch bark and the fine texture of ornamental grasses. Your winter garden will come alive.