In the mid 80’s when I worked at the Great Big Greenhouse, a co-worker was talking about organic methods to use in the garden to keep bugs away. “So what I do…” she said, “ is take a jar out to my garden and collect every non-beneficial bug, beetle and slug I can find. I bring the jar inside, add water to it and put it in my blender.
As you walk your garden on these 75 degree days, you might be overwhelmed, as I am, to see the amount of weeds popping up. The tricky question is, “Which plant is a weed?” I thought I would give you ‘easy to see’ tasks, or chores, you can do while you wait for your yard service, significant other or unlucky friend to come help you.
I have waited since last Spring to cut back the roots on my girdled maple trees. With winter, the trees are finally dormant. When my good friend and “tree” man checked them out. He said the girdled roots on my tree supported the trees in a big way. If I cut the supporting roots that are girdling the tree, the whole tree may fall over!
Here we are in the end of January with temperatures at 9 degrees this morning. I find this a particularly tricky year to read a garden because of widely vacillating temperatures. Deep drought and wet conditions with the help of snow and ice also adds to my indecisiveness of what to do and when.
Back in the day, I remember December as being the time when garden clubs would call some of my clients asking if they could come cut boxwoods for wreaths and other decorations for historical site tours at Christmas. I always considered garden decorations of these types as a cheerful bi-product of the important task of pruning boxwoods.