The Time For Planting And Pruning
January is an important month for planting or transplanting trees and shrubbery. In the South the period of dormancy is so short that it had best be done at once. It will not be long before we have to review all our lawn care tips to make our yard the envy of the neighborhood.
Many summer flowering things not already pruned may be pruned now. Vitex, crape-myrtle and altheas may be grown as standards. Remove all low growth on the main trunk, and top them severely. Cassia (corymbosa) is lovely grown as a standard.
A althea, ‘Bluebird,’ is said to be a floriferous bloomer and vigorous grower. The flowers are five inches across, wide, saucer-like and blue. Few shrubs have a longer blooming season than althea if not allowed to set seed. Altheas also have the virtue of blooming when quite small.
Late January and early February are my favorite times to plant roses. Earlier the weather may be balmy for two weeks and then dip low, killing new tender growth. By the time they start growing if planted late this month there will not be any more killing cold. I order as soon as catalogs arrive. Most rose growers will ship when designated. When the plants arrive, unpack, trim broken canes and roots, then immerse the whole plant in water overnight. A clean garbage can is good for this although my bath tub has been pressed into service. Hill up around newly planted canes to keep them from drying out, removing earth as warmer weather approaches.
Curcuma (Zingiberacea) roots hould be ordered soon. This showy plant should be grown more. C. Tonga grows to six feet high, the leaves canna-like but much deeper ribbed, from PA to two feet long. In July and August they send up dense spikes over a foot long. The flowers are yellow but the bracts papery, shaded lavender and pink-lavender. Cut, the foliage and spikes of blooms last for more than a week. C. peliolala is smaller growing. The flowers of both are identical except that this blooms later, stretching the season of bloom. The roots are fleshy, and where the ground freezes deeply should be dug and stored as dahlias are. Planted four inches deep in good rich soil, and watered well these plants, commonly called “queen lilies,” are really beautiful and unusual.
In a test plot I saw the a new orange rose in bloom. This rose has done wonderfully well in the South and I predict it will be a Southern belle.
All the,winter-blooming plants like pansies, calendulas, larkspur and so forth will benefit from soluble feeding. Cloves of garlic, grown in a sunny kitchen window, make a note of green and the young tender foliage may be cut to add just the right fillip to winter salads or stews.
Soon snails and slugs will be doing untold damage. At the first slimy sign put out Bug-geta pellets where they will get them.
Do put out suet, peanut butter, crumbs and seed for the song birds that spend the winter with us. See that they have water when everything is frozen.
Keith Markensen knows from experience why so many individuals get frustrated with topics like lawn care tips. Take in the variety of subjects at increase your education of lawn, garden landscaping, vines and house plants.
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