Now is a good time to plan your garden. Pay a visit to your
local independent garden center to check out seeds and seed starting kits.
Nursery and seed catalogs also start to come in the mail this month. Catalogs
can be easily found online as well. Some of my favorites are: Breck’s (www.brecks.com)
for bulbs, Klehm’s Song Sparrow (www.songsparrow.com)
and High Country Gardens (www.highcountrygardens.com)
for Xeric plants, Burpee’s (www.burpee.com)
for seeds, and Gardener’s Supply for tools and garden accessories. Before
ordering, make sure the plants can survive in Zone 5 (our zone for Douglas
County).
Get ready for spring! If not done in the fall, clean, sharpen,
and repair all garden tools. Have the lawnmower tuned up and the blades
sharpened. Scrub dirt from pots and containers and soak in a 1% bleach solution
to sterilize.
Inspect your trees and shrubs for winter damage. Prune any
branches that are obviously dead or damaged. Heavy, wet snow can damage trees
and evergreens and cause limb breakage– gently remove excess snow with a broom
as soon as possible.
Continue to winter water trees, shrubs, lawns, and perennials as
needed. Water early in the day when the temperature is above 45 degrees.
To keep the stems of red-twig dogwood shrubs (Cornus sericea)
that bright red cheerful color next winter, prune out 1/3 of the old canes to
the ground. Older stems tend to lose their red color and are prone to insect and
disease damage such as scale.
Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as forsythia and
lilac. These shrubs bloom on last year’s wood. They can be pruned in late
spring after they bloom. However, if you’d like to have an early spring
surprise, cut a few twigs (with buds) to "force" indoors. Forsythia,
for example, forces very easily. Simply cut a few branches and place in a vase
of water. In a few weeks, the pretty, delicate yellow flowers will fill your
home with spring color.
In late February, look for pansies and violas at your local
garden center to plant outdoors. These hardy annuals add color and interest to
your emerging spring garden. Be sure to "harden" them off (slowly
acclimate them to the outdoors) before planting. ◊
For more information and garden tips, contact Julie Pfankuch, a
Master Gardener and owner of "The Garden Helper" at
303-840-2580 or email her at MyGardenHelper@aol.com.
