It is February already and regardless of what the groundhog says, the weather can vary widely.
Even though it may still be cold, damp, snowy and sometimes miserable outdoors, occasionally Mother Nature will bless us with a day or two of sunshine.
Be inspired to go outside and work on those days, cleaning up debris, leaves and whatever else the wind blows in.
Be sure to protect your desirable plants from deer rubbing and eating them.
It looks like winter will be a long one and it may have taken away a lot of their food options.
We suggest applying a repellent to make your plants less desirable.
Continue doing this through April and if possible apply every three weeks. It is also recommended to use a different type of repellent each time.
I use Repels-All from Bonide for the first application and then Liquid Fence the next application, and then go back to Repels-All the next time.
Pruning is another outdoor job for this month when the weather is nice.
Spring and summer flowering trees will benefit from pruning.
Clear out any underbrush, saplings, and weedy trees under the trees.
Remove dead and damaged limbs, and any branches that cross others and crowd the center of the tree.
Be sure to remove any limbs that spoil the symmetry of the trees structure or to enhance the looks of the tree.
Never take more than a third of the total plant mass. Be sure to dispose of all limbs, never leaving any debris under the trees.
These methods will work for deciduous trees as well. You can begin clearing and cleaning up annual and perennial beds.
Be sure not to compost any of the debris, in case it harbors any diseases or insect eggs.
Cut off any battered or damaged Hellebore foliage to make space for new growth and flowering.
Remember, regardless of what the Groundhog says, spring is still more than six weeks away.
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Roses For Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and we are often asked what is the meaning of the different colors of roses.
• Red: Love or true love;
• Yellow: Friendship or jealousy;
• Pink: Youth, joy of life, gratitude;
• White: Eternal love, innocence, virtue, purity, reverence and humility;
• Orange: Desire, passion;
• Lavender: Love at first sight;
• Red and white together: Unity; and
• Red and yellow together: Joy, Happiness and Excitement.
If you do receive roses, refill the water twice daily as fresh roses are very heavy water drinkers.
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Fruit Tree Care For February
Pruning a fruit tree is one of the most important tasks while the tree is dormant and it does more good for the tree than fertilizing.
Why prune a fruit tree? Three very important reasons: Survival, Stimulation and Shaping. After a single growing season, a pruned tree will be larger than an unpruned tree.
It is important to train your tree to a strong central leader and prune it to a pyramidal shape with lower branches being longer than the higher ones.
Branches should generally be cut back by no more than a third of the total plant mass.
Taking any more than this will result in the formation of “water sprout” growth which is useless because it produces no fruit and robs important energy from the tree. Be sure to remove any growth below 10 and 2 o’clock, as these branches cannot support the weight of ripening fruit, or ice and snow and usually break.
Do not leave any crossing or rubbing branches and any branch forming a V-shaped crotch which splits easily and is a good place for insects to go undetected.
Since every branch has buds going in all directions, make sure you prune right above a bud that aimed outward to encourage a spreading shape.
Your cut should also be on a slight angle. Use the angle of the bud you have selected as your guide, leaving no more than an 1/8-inch of wood above the bud.
When planting a fruit tree be sure to dig a hole 1½ to 2 times wider than the root ball and dig 6 to 8 inches deeper.
Apply a fertilizer like Espoma’s Biotone Plant starter in the bottom of the hole as per label instructions to prevent transplant shock and provide the necessary nutrients for healthy plant growth.
Use a 50-50 blend of compost such as Leafgro or composted manure as your backfill. Use the end of the shovel to fill in all the air pockets in the hole tightly.
It is very important when planting the tree that you keep the grafted part above the ground.
Not following this procedure could result in your dwarf or semi-dwarf tree becoming an old-fashioned standard fruit tree that will grow way too big to harvest!
It is a good idea to apply a dormant spray of horticultural oil and liquid copper to kill any over wintering insects and diseases.
This spray should be applied when air temperatures remain above 40 degrees for a 24- to 36-hour period.
You can apply this same spray to any dormant tree or shrub and even roses.
(Editor’s Note: Ken Morgan is the owner of Robin’s Nest Floral and Garden Center in Easton, Md.)