Emily's Gardening Almanac Timely Tips from a Professional Gardening Expert

January- Happy Gardening!

• Pour yourself a good cup of coffee or cappuccino and dream as you go through the colorful garden and seed catalogs that are in your mailbox during January.

• After removing your cut Christmas tree shred it and use it as mulch.

• If you have houseplants inside next to a window make sure you give them extra care on cold nights. The cold temperature on the window panes can damage tender leaves and flowers. Pull plants away from the glass or close curtains or blinds at night.

• Houseplants do not need as much water during the winter months as they do in the summer, so reduce your watering and use little or no fertilizer. You can easily kill a houseplant by overwatering.

• During periods of cold, make sure your shrubs or trees have adequate moisture. You may have to water your shrubs & trees during predicted cold to protect roots. Cold temperature can damage roots that are in dry soil.

• You can prune “bleeder” trees like dogwoods, maple, birch or elm during early January.

• Make sure all the leaves have been removed from your lawn.

• This is a good month to have your lawn mower serviced and repaired. Sharpen your blade before your spring mowing.

• Plants flowering this month:

  Lenten-Rose – Helleborus
  Wintersweet – Chimonanthus
  Winter Daphne – Daphne odora
  Winter Jasmine – Jasminum nudiflorum
  Camellias – Camellia japonica or sasanqua

• Purchase a flowering houseplant for winter color and brighten your day!

Visit the following web sites for more gardening information and helpful tips:

Urban Horticulture, NCSU
Extension's Successful Gardener^sm

For informaton concerning this or other publications please contact Emily Revels, Extension Agent, Horticulture, at (910) 321-6870.

Created by Susan Johnson, System Administrator, May 2005