Breaking ground
JANUARY
Another year of gardening is in the books. While many gardeners are taking a bit of a break from their chores, it is a great time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t this past year.
We did have a fairly mild growing season with more rain than normal until fall, and then we had summertime conditions — hot and dry. Many gardeners stopped watering when temperatures went down, but water is not just needed when it is warm. The thing to monitor is the amount of rainfall. If it is dry and lower than normal humidity, coupled with wind, water is needed — even in the winter. It just isn’t a daily need like it can be in the summer. Pay attention as we head into winter.
Newly planted or transplanted trees and shrubs will need water when dry, and container plants also dry out quickly. Shallow-rooted vegetables and winter annuals would benefit from supplemental water if it is dry, particularly before a really hard freeze.
Along with a little water, winter annuals including pansies and violas would benefit from some fertilizer periodically on a warm winter day. This will keep them blooming better.
Winter vegetables can grow all season provided the temperatures don’t drop too low. Keep some covering handy, and if temperatures are predicted much below 28, you should protect them with an overturned box, pot or row cover. Harvest as needed throughout the winter, but do avoid contact when leaves are frozen as they will be brittle.
All landscape plants, including lawns, can be brittle when temperatures are below freezing. If
we do get winter precipitation in the form of ice, stay away from your plants until they thaw. Branches can snap quickly when ice is on them. If we get heavy snow, lightly brushing it away or gentle sweeps from below the branches can prevent limbs from breaking with the weight, but use caution.
If you do see weather-damaged plants, assess the damage once the snow and/or ice are gone. If there are broken branches, prune to remove any dangling limbs. If leaves are burned, ignore it until spring. Pruning off cosmetic damage too early could expose more of the plant to more damage.
Many gardeners are noticing that their azalea plants have a lot of yellow leaves. For the majority of the plants this is their annual leaf shed. Some evergreen plants shed leaves periodically all season, while others shed once a year. If you look closely, the leaves that are yellowing are those closest to the bottom of the branch. The tip leaves and buds are still green. White and light pink varieties are more prone to the dramatic yellowing than darker flowering forms, but it is nothing to be worried about.
As one season ends we begin planning for the season ahead. Catalogs are arriving at a fast pace these days, and there are so many new and interesting things to try. Start planning and be sure to try something new each year.
Watch for greening in your lawn as January continues. This greening in a dormant, warm-season grass will not be lawn grass but winter weeds. If you can catch them early, you can stop their growth.
PLANT OF THE MONTH
Pansies are the most popular winter annual flower grown in Arkansas gardens. They come in a variety of sizes, colors and types, from blues, to reds, yellows, white, orange, pink and purple with even a few black ones thrown in. There are solid colors without faces called clears, to
bi-colors with contrasting faces; there are blended colors, giving you a mix of colors in each bloom.
Intense breeding has developed flowers that can get as large as 4½ inches across, on lovely green foliage. It is hard to believe that these large, brightly colored flowers are descendants of the quiet, diminutive woodland violets.
The flowers have a velvety texture, and the plants bloom over a long period of time.
Pansies thrive in cool weather and will bloom until hot weather causes them to decline next summer. They can be planted from October through early January and again in late March through April, although spring-planted plants are relatively shortlived.
Plant them in a welldrained spot with moderately rich soil, or in containers. They will grow in full sun to partial shade. Those in full sun will fade away sooner in the summer, but by then you’ll have plenty of other plants to replace them with.
Fertilize at planting and during any warm spell throughout the winter.
Very few pests attack pansies, however some gardens are plagued by rabbits and, occasionally, squirrels. Use whatever resources you have to deter them; a light scattering of blood meal has been known to do the trick.
Pansies are considered an edible flower. They are used in salads and are crystallized and used as decoration on cakes. If you decide to nibble on your pansies, make sure that they have not been sprayed with any pesticides before doing so.