January: To Do

If you print out this page, you should get little boxes where the bullets are, making this a check list.

Oh, and if you really think that I actually do all of these things, you are terribly confused. Sometimes I even (gasp) do things that aren't on this list.

I can only guarrentee this list is accurate for the things that I grow. I do not grow every item on this list. This list is targetted to Sunset Zone 14, specifically, and I think it is good for all of USDA Zone 9. In addition, it is probably pretty accurate for USDA Zones 10-11 and maybe 8.

January in Livermore (Sunset Zone 14) can be beautiful. It rains, but not too much, leaving the sky a wonderful, deep blue color. Temperatures are cool to chilly (30-50° F / 0-10° C). It is time for bare-root planting of trees, shrubs, and roses, pruning of non-spring bloomers, soil amendment, and odd jobs like sprinkler repair.

What's in bloom? Camillas and that is about it, but my gulf stream nandina is a beautiful, vibrant red.

Announcements / General / Trees, Shrubs, and Vines / Roses / Lawns and Ground Covers / Perennials / Bulbs / Annuals / Container Gardens / Kitchen Garden: Vegetables and Herbs / Fruit / House, greenhouse, or conservatory plants / Ponds / Other: Structural and Special

Announcements

General (or it never ends)

Trees, Shrubs, and Vines

Roses

Lawns and Ground Covers

Perennials

Bulbs

Annuals

Container Gardens

Kitchen Garden: Vegetables and Herbs

Fruit

House, greenhouse, or conservatory plants

Ponds

Other: Structural and Special

Pruning

Prune from the inside out.
  1. Remove diseased and dead branches.
  2. Remove branches crossing or rubbing each other. Also remove small twiggy interior branches unless the plant is not old enought to have developed sufficient larger branches. You will want to skip to the next step before removing all the twiggy stuff if that is the case.
  3. Step back and observe your plant. This step is very important. Take time to consider its growth habit and the manner in which you wish the plant to grow. They may not be the same thing.
  4. Prune to shape. This is different with different plants. I try not to remove too much a plant, limiting myself to cutting off 1/3 to 1/2 of the plant. In roses, I recommend that the final height of the plant after pruning should be 2/3 that of the unpruned plant. A large rose, like Mr. Lincoln (7 feet in my garden) will be taller after pruning than Ingrid Bergman (3.5 feet) was before pruning.
  5. Do not prune spring bloomers like lilacs. They should be pruned after blooming.
References

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To Do Index

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