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The mild weather in North Central Texas means gardeners can stay busy most of the year. Here's some advice on what to do and when to do it.
- Now is an excellent time to transplant mature or established trees and shrubs while
they are dormant.
- Make flower and vegetable garden plans now before the rush of spring planting. Time
spent in armchair gardening before the fireplace will pay off in improved plant
selection. Besides, it is fun to page through the garden catalogs.
- Sow seeds in flats or containers to get a jump on plant growth before hot weather
arrives. Petunias, begonias, and impatiens should be sown in early January. Warm
temperature plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, marigolds, and periwinkles, should
be sown indoors in late January or early February.
- Apply a light application of fertilizer to established pansy plantings. Use one-half
pound of ammonium sulfate per 100 square feet of bed area. Repeat the application
every 4 to 6 weeks, depending on rainfall. Dried blood meal is also an excellent
source of fertilizer for pansies.
- Prepare beds and garden area for spring planting.
- Select and order gladiolus corms for February/March planting. Plant at two-week
intervals to prolong flowering period.
- Check junipers and other narrow-leaf evergreens for bagworm pouches. The insect
eggs overwinter in the pouch, and start the cycle again by emerging in the spring
to begin feeding on the foliage. Hand removal and burning of the pouches are ways
of reducing the potential damage next spring.
- The life of the plant received as a Christmas gift can be prolonged with proper
care. Keep the soil moist, but provide drainage so that excess moisture can flow
from the pot. Keep the plant out of range of heating ducts and away from heating
units. Keep in a cool room at night, preferably at 60 to 65 degrees F.
- Don't fertilize newly set out trees or shrubs until after they have started to grow,
and then only very lightly the first year.
- When buying plants, the biggest is not always the best, especially when dealing
with bare-root plants. The medium to small sizes (4 to 6 feet) are usually faster
to become established and more effective in the landscape than the large sizes.
- Hold off on pruning bush roses until February or early March. Use good shears that
will make clean cuts. Remove dead, dying, and weak canes. Leave 4 to 8 healthy canes,
and remove approximately one-half of the top growth and height of the plant.
- Now is an excellent time to select and plant container-grown roses to fill in those
bare spots in your rose garden.
- When pruning shrubs, first prune out any dead or damaged branches; then thin out
by removing about one-third of the canes or stems at ground level, removing the
oldest canes only; and last, shape the rest of the plant, but do not cut everything
back to the same height.
- Water foliage plants as well as other containerized plants only when needed and
not by the calendar.
- Climbing roses should be trained but not pruned. Weave long canes through openings
in trellises or arbors and tie them with jute twine or plastic/wire plant ties.
Securing canes now prevents damage from winter winds, and contributes toward a more
refined look to the garden when roses are blooming. Wait until after the spring
flowering period to prune climbing or once-blooming shrub roses.
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