January In Your Garden
Garden tip from Evergreen Nursery
13650 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley
858-481-0622
3231 Oceanside Blvd.,Oceanside
760-754-0340
Evergreen Nursery is a wholesale garden center open to the public with two locations in San Diego (a third East County location is coming soon). Seminars are held on the first Saturday of every month with extra seminars during the spring. The next seminar — “Landscaping With Succulents and Natives: Creating a beautiful landscape with succulents and natives without looking like a desert” takes place at both locations at 10 a.m., Feb. 4.
Take some time now while the weather is cooler and much of your garden may be dormant to plan your garden and prepare for the year. Here are some primary tasks to consider this month:
Pruning
Do a major pruning of dormant fruit and shade trees, vines and rose bushes. Proper pruning will help control and redirect plant growth, as well as stimulate fruit and flower production. After the last frost, remove any dead, diseased or damaged limbs. Don’t be afraid to prune roses hard to eliminate a lot of the old wood.
Planting and transplanting
Plant dormant shade trees, grapes, berries, hardy perennials, roses, shrubs and wisteria now through the spring. Also plant azaleas and camellias. Water thoroughly but don’t over water; cooler temperatures, shorter days and wet periods will decrease the need for watering. Plant or transplant to other parts of the garden any deciduous trees or shrubs after the last frost. Prune to compensate for root loss and water with a water-soluble fertilizer.
Bedding plants
Refresh your cool-season annuals such as calendulas, cyclamen, dianthus, pansies, Iceland poppies, ranunculus, snapdragons, alyssum and violas when available. For some color in your garden’s shady spots consider columbine, coral bells, primrose, bergenia, begonias and impatiens.
Vegetables and herbs
Clean and prepare beds; add an organic fertilizer such as Gro-Power. Spray with a fungicide to reduce over-wintering disease problems. Plant artichokes, asparagus, rhubarb and strawberries.
Lawns
During the winter, cool-season lawns such as fescues, annual rye and bluegrass can get rust. Help avoid the problem with a dose of high-nitrogen food. Fertilize when the soil is moist (not dry) and then water in thoroughly. A pre-emergent herbicide will help prevent weeds.
Roses
Prune all roses back now and use a dormant spray. Irrigate new plants as needed depending on soil and weather conditions. Fertilize with Sul-Po-Mag and starter fertilizer this month for a stronger healthier rose this spring.
Houseplants
Check for disease and insect damage. Heaters and poor light conditions have probably taken their toll this winter. Prune dead leaves or broken branches, wipe dust off leaves, and spray with a “houseplant” insecticide if any insects are found.
Pest control
Deciduous woody plants, particularly fruit trees and roses, need spraying now with a dormant spray to avoid many spring insect and bacterial infestations. Repeat spraying two to three times before buds open. Bait or handpick snails. Pick up fallen leaves and spent flowers.
