What to Do in January Gardening
Nature displays the colour of the spirit. Magnificence is just not confined to season nor to area. The gardens of Georgia or of Florida are perpetually in bloom, however are they extra stunning than northern gardens in winter, the place creativeness kinds the attractive tracery of tree branches into designs few artists have approached of their delineation of Nature? Are the Alps grander than the Rockies; who can decide?
Studying of gardens is subsequent finest to working in them. Tulips now bloom within the Holland of our books; the perennial borders are what we hoped they’d be all summer time; the gardens of the seed catalogs anticipate all kinds of latest flowers bigger, extra aromatic, and with colours of superior brilliance. Allow us to work, then, to make our winter visions come true subsequent yr, studying, seeing and planning.
The North
WATERING vegetation in winter is a moderately exacting operation. These rising actively ought to have probably the most water, whereas these that are resting can get together with little or no.
Humidity. Vegetation like a excessive relative humidity, and there are various methods to achieve it. The house gardener who aspires to good home vegetation ought to have some kind of humidifier put in.
Glazed Pots. Massachusetts State School, has discovered that the peculiar clay flower pot absorbs an important share of the moisture which we give to our vegetation, in order that the soil within the pot is kind of dry on the backside, the very place the place the feeding roots ought to be positioned.
He tells us that the previous notion that the vegetation get air through the pores of the pot is misguided. His experiments present that vegetation develop significantly better when grown in glazed pots, pots that are given a thick coating of paint, or paper pots which have been handled with some substance. The standard paper pot decays readily and takes an excellent share of nitrogen from the soil. Consequently, the paper ought to be handled with varnish, lacquer, or bakelite, and the vegetation given extra nitrogen within the type of ammonium sulphate (1 ounce to 1 gallon of water), nitrate of soda, or some related substance.
Home-Vegetation You’ll Like: Philodendron, a vine which grows in both solar or shade, and with too little or an excessive amount of water. English Ivy, virtually as tolerant because the Philodendron, and sleek when educated over a window; it can be grown in an peculiar vase of water with out soil. Dracaenas could also be bought from the florist, and are present in so many various varieties and species. All of them like a free soil, containing sand and charcoal. Ferns develop finest in a soil comprised of decayed sod or good backyard soil with leafmold added. They get pleasure from an abundance of water, however be certain they don’t have moist ft, and don’t develop them in full solar.
Poinsettia vegetation obtained at Christmas time could also be stored in good situation by sustaining a relentless temperature. By no means place them in a room the place there’s a breeze. Because the vegetation seem shabby, water might be withheld in order that the pots grow to be fairly dry, after which they are often positioned within the basement till Could or June, and grown one other yr, after they’ve been pruned and planted within the spring.
Bulbs. Deliver as much as a light-weight, cool place of about 50 levels such bulbs as early tulips, hyacinths, and narcissus. For rising bulbs indoors.
To drive rhubarb, dig some clumps of roots now, plant in a field, and retailer in a heat cellar with some gentle.
Chicory, generally known as French Endive, might be pressured into good progress in a heat cellar. Did you ever strive conserving a pot of parsley in the home?
Within the storage. Check out saved tubers and bulbs to verify they’re in correct situation and never too dry. Lots of the roots when not saved in soil or peatmoss grow to be very dry, and it could be properly even at this late date to put them in moist, however not moist, sand, peatmoss, or soil. If, alternatively, you be aware decay in these bulbs, it’s little doubt on account of too moist circumstances, and it’s properly to take away the bulbs and retailer them in drier circumstances, maybe chopping out the rot and dusting the reduce floor with dusting sulphur or a few of the new formaldehyde mud which has not too long ago come available on the market.
Instruments. Go over all instruments. Paint all steel elements to assist stop rust. Some individuals prior to now have used a deep field stuffed with sand over which previous crankcase oil is poured. Instruments are thrust into this oily sand, thereby cleansing them and stopping rust.
Books. Many authors put the expertise of a lifetime in a e book. And a few of them promote their souls for a 20 {dollars}. Don’t neglect to learn a number of good backyard books throughout January.
E-book of the Month—is the seed catalog. Now’s the time for all good males, ladies, and kids to ship for his or her seed catalogs and to start making out and sending off lists of seeds.
Backyard Plans. You don’t have to have the ability to draw a fairly image to make backyard plans. A superb a lot of them ought to be in your thoughts, with merely a couple of notes jotted down, however when you’ve got the issue of landscaping your private home grounds for the primary time, go to our design part one left.
Spraying fruit timber and shrubs for scale ought to be finished someday this winter.
Bushes and Evergreens. It’s enjoyable to have the ability to name evergreens and timber right names. We need to name our neighbors by their names and never check with them because the neighbors who reside subsequent door.
Pruning Bushes. Research the structure of your timber. Now’s the time to prune out such branches as are going within the incorrect course, in addition to these that are diseased or useless.
Parasols vs. Overcoats. Let’s be certain we bear in mind why we defend vegetation. We don’t defend them to stop them from freezing.
Hardwood chopping of shrubs could also be made this month. Choose lengthy, willowy branches out of your goldenbells, weigela, deutzia, privet, mockorange, tamarix. Minimize them into 8-inch lengths and bury them in a field of moist sand or peatmoss. When spring arrives a lot of them could have rooted.
Birds are singing neighbors.
Pie Crust. The meat-eating birds will get pleasure from pie-crust crumbs greater than peculiar bread crumbs as a result of they comprise fat. Religiously save your discarded pie crusts for the feathered pals.
For winter bouquets, reduce branches of Forsythia, Pussy Willow, deutzia, wisteria, lilac, apple, peach, or pear and convey them into the home. Preserve the branches dampened by frequent spraying and place the ends in water.
Backyard Stroll. Stroll around the backyard as we speak. You might be certain to seek out some perennials which have to be pushed again into the soil, some spot the place the mulch has blown away, some small tree that wants staking, in addition to one thing to please you.
Snow is likely one of the finest winter protections. The French at all times name it “poor man’s manure” as a result of it takes nitrogen from the air and provides it to the soil. Heavy snow completely injures some kinds of evergreens. Earlier than the snow has an opportunity to show to ice, shake it from the evergreens.
Frozen Floor. Now that the bottom is frozen you could possibly get on your rock backyard sure giant rocks troublesome to get in spring whenever you can’t drive upon the soggy soil.
The West Coast
ROSES. Area-grown roses with naked roots ought to be planted from January to March within the Los Angeles territory. A superb software of dry lime and sulphur in January, whereas roses are dormant, is an effective management for mildew.
Gladiolus. For a succession of bloom, proceed to plant gladiolus each few weeks from now till June.
Greens. For the house backyard, vegetable seeds could also be planted this month. It’s an excellent time to set out rhubarb roots.
Sow this month your final planting of Winter Flowering Candy Peas, wild-flowers, Ranunculus, annual poppies, California-poppies, Candy Alyssum, snapdragons, Scabiosa, larkspur, calendula, mignonette, annual chrysanthemums, Nigella, calliopsis, candytuft, Centaureas, Cinerarias, and garden grasses.
Transplanting Perennials. Quite a lot of perennials might be transplanted into the border this month, together with pansies, foxgloves, Canterbury bells, Columbine, Shasta Daisy.
Plant Bulbs. Many cape bulbs might be transplanted.
Bushes and Shrubs. Deciduous shrubs and timber and in addition evergreens, dug from the open floor, might be transplanted anytime now. Wait till late spring or early summer time to maneuver palms and bamboos.
You should definitely embrace the Candy Broom (Cytisus fragrans), which shall be lined with white bloom in early spring and summer time; the Grevillea thelemanniana, an Australian plant with scarlet flowers and fine-cut foliage; Plumbago capensis, which is at all times admired for its clear blue flowers. It may be educated as a low bush, or as a climber.
Lilies. Round San Diego, the Japanese Lilies—Lilium rubrum, tigrinum, and auratum—do notably properly in soils that are properly drained. Do not forget that these three lilies produce roots above the bulbs and will subsequently be planted not less than 8 inches deep.
The South
SEE the notes of the West Coast, as many of the similar instructions apply.
Perennial Phlox. This can be a good time to transplant and divide the perennial phlox, for clumps greater than 4 years previous are seldom profitable.
Greens. You’ll be able to set out hardy kinds. Tomatoes could also be sown within the hotbed with just a bit warmth.
Candy Potatoes. Set out Candy Potatoes in a coldframe, utilizing sandy soil.
Spading. The New Orleans Backyard Society means that the beds be spaded in order that the clods could also be mellowed by the frost. For conquering a cussed soil.
Cuttings. You may make cuttings of crapemyrtle, butterflybush (Buddleia), skyflower (Duranta), Shrub-althea (Hibiscus) field, roses, privet, and hydrangea.
Blooming in January. Within the neighborhood of New Orleans, the next vegetation are in bloom; Camellia, Candy Olive (Osmanthus fragrans), peaches, snowflake (Leucojum), flowering-quince, larkspur, phlox, and Candy Alyssum.
Roses. The next checklist is usually recommended by American Rose Society: Alexander Hill Grey, Angele Pernet, Climbing Radiance, Dame Edith Helen, Dr. Huey, Dr. W. Van Fleet, Emily Grey, Excelsa, Frau Karl Druschki, Normal Jacqueminot, Her-mosa, Mme. Butterfly, Mermaid, Ophelia, Paul’s Scarlet Climber, Rev. F. Web page-Roberts, Scorcher, Candy Sixteen.
Layer Roses. The best solution to improve your roses is to bend the branches down; make a deep reduce into the department, and canopy the wounded portion with soil. To carry the department down it could be crucial to make use of a powerful wire like a hairpin, or a stone.
Demossing. Earlier than the buds on the deciduous timber start to swell, it could be properly to take away a great deal of southern moss, as it is going to be simpler to take away it this season of the yr.
Figs. Prune figs this month after a heavy frost. They’re often pruned fairly severely, and the injuries ought to at all times be painted with asphaltum paint or white lead. Plant meals wealthy in phosphoric acid prevents the fruits from dropping earlier than they’re ripe, improves the flavour, and makes the meat extra agency. The plant meals is finest utilized about 2 ft from the tree. Circle it with a shallow trench, and apply 1 pound of superphosphate for annually of the tree’s progress. It’s sluggish to grow to be accessible, in order that it’s properly to make functions in January, through which case the meals will nonetheless be helpful as late as Could.
