by Chris Winslow
1. Plant fruit trees. Peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, pomegran-
ates… and apples and apricots too. These all do well in this area. For
those with limited space, or with an appetite for novelty, try a ‘four-
in-one’ grafted apple or pear. These have four different varieties graf-
ted onto the same tree. If you don’t have a yard, try a dwarf peach…
easily grown in a pot or whisky barrel.
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2. Plant vegetables in kitchen garden. Asparagus crowns, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, Swiss chard, pod
peas (sugar snaps) and lettuce. Also onions, such as the white Texas
super-sweet called Contessa.
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3. Plant winter-hardy herbs. Thyme, oregano, Italian and curled
parsley, rosemary, winter and summer savory, garden sage & chives.
Herbs need at least a half a day’s sun in a well-drained location.
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4. Plant flowers in the garden. Calendula, pansies, stock, cycla-
men, violas, dianthus, bluebonnets, nasturtium, flowering cabbage
and kale, and larkspur. For a great show, plant snapdragons now
for April and May color.
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5. Plant a rose. Besides some good old standbys like Peace, Mr.
Lincoln, Climbing Don Juan and Blasé, there are some interesting
newcomers to look for, such as the Knock Out series, Home Run
and Belinda’s Dream. Let’s not forget our charming antique roses
which are disease-resistant, hardy, and can shower our landscapes
with the most beautiful, showy flowers.
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6. Prune your roses. This is an activity for mid-month… around
Valentine’s Day. Please proceed with caution. Be sure you know
what kind of rose you have. Most shrub roses bloom on new wood,
so a pruning will help to force new growth and blooms. Climbing
roses, however, bloom on old wood. If you prune them, you will
remove all the flowers before they have a chance to bloom. If in
doubt, please give me a call at the nursery for some advice.
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7. Clean up the landscape. Cut back perennials and apply a mulch-
compost blend. Add green sand and sulfur to plants that prefer their
soil to be a little more acidic. Check leaves for signs of iron defic-
iency. Light green leaves with darker veins indicate a lack of iron
that green sand and sulfur will help to cure.
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8. Control lawn weeds. Spread a pre-emergent weed killer over the
yard and water it in. We recommend corn gluten. This is an effective
organic pre-emergent that will not poison waterways and aquifers.
If you spread it over the lawn, it will control those spring and sum-
mer weeds before they have a chance to germinate. You can safely
use it in the garden or in flowerbeds.
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9. Maintain garden tools. Repair and clean garden tools. Change
the oil on the lawnmower, and have the blades sharpened.
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10. Garden plan. Put something down in a book, a diary, or even
on a scrap of paper that you tape to the wall. The more modern
gardener can even create some sort of a spreadsheet. This will help
you plan your weekend activities through the year and get your
plants in the ground at the correct time of the year. Happy Garden-
ing Everyone!
