Two things I left out of the last post:
1. I keep this document on my computer as a regular Excel document. By doing that, I can keep editing and saving, I can cut and paste for things that happen every month, can remove items that die or get "shovel pruned," and add things that are added into the garden. I'd love to tell you it's a fancy process, but it's not.
2. The other thing we do during the first week of each month is fertilize everything in the greenhouse (except those few exceptions which go dormant for the winter or have more specific needs) with a weak liquid fertilizer (something suitable for houseplants). Organic liquid (fish based) fertilizers are great for this, but will often leave a "funky" odor for a few days.
Showing posts with label Calendar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calendar. Show all posts
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
This Week in the Garden
One of the practices I've developed over the years is the continual use of a "garden calendar" that I've developed over time, which includes the plants in the gardens at the Big House, as well as those in the Stepchild Garden. Whenever I purchase or install a new plant, I take the time to Google its recommended maintenance schedule for this particular zone, and add those notes into the schedule. This information is merged with thoughts from local gardeners, experts about particular plant species, etc. I've found that it's the only way I'm able to keep up with some things that need doing, and over the past few years, it has made a marked difference in the success I've had with particular plants.
As a result, I'm going to start posting "This Week in the Garden" on a weekly basis. If you're in this same zone (7B to 8, depending upon who you ask), feel free to take any of these things for your own calendar. If not, take what's helpful, and use it to help yourself develop your own schedule. The other added bonus is that this list prompts me to visit some out of the way spots in the garden that I don't always pay enough attention to, catching bugs and such before they become a problem.
January Pruning: Abelia, Bottlebrush Buckeye, Vitex, Clethra, Confederate Rose, arborescens Hydrangeas, Hypericum, Oakleaf Hydrangeas, Gardenia, Osmanthus, Pyracantha*, Agarista, Arborvitae, Boxwoods, Evergreen Hollies, Crape Myrtles, Figs can be pruned hard in January
Fertilize: Pansies every two weeks (temps must be below 60 degrees F) with pansy fertilizer, Liquid 10-10-10 on bulbs once two inches of foliage is visible
Miscellaneous: Spray Dormant Oil on Branches of Fruit Trees to Suffocate Dormant Insects
Now, before you get all worked up about this (as only gardeners can), please remember that this is what I do, and it may not be applicable to your particular garden. A couple of notes, as well....if the pyracantha looks really good and is still covered with berries, I won't prune it until February.Similarly, most of these things listed are fine getting pruned in January or February; with the number of plants I need to prune by hand, and the number of daylight hours in the winter, I need to start now or I'd never get done!
As a result, I'm going to start posting "This Week in the Garden" on a weekly basis. If you're in this same zone (7B to 8, depending upon who you ask), feel free to take any of these things for your own calendar. If not, take what's helpful, and use it to help yourself develop your own schedule. The other added bonus is that this list prompts me to visit some out of the way spots in the garden that I don't always pay enough attention to, catching bugs and such before they become a problem.
January Pruning: Abelia, Bottlebrush Buckeye, Vitex, Clethra, Confederate Rose, arborescens Hydrangeas, Hypericum, Oakleaf Hydrangeas, Gardenia, Osmanthus, Pyracantha*, Agarista, Arborvitae, Boxwoods, Evergreen Hollies, Crape Myrtles, Figs can be pruned hard in January
Fertilize: Pansies every two weeks (temps must be below 60 degrees F) with pansy fertilizer, Liquid 10-10-10 on bulbs once two inches of foliage is visible
Miscellaneous: Spray Dormant Oil on Branches of Fruit Trees to Suffocate Dormant Insects
Now, before you get all worked up about this (as only gardeners can), please remember that this is what I do, and it may not be applicable to your particular garden. A couple of notes, as well....if the pyracantha looks really good and is still covered with berries, I won't prune it until February.Similarly, most of these things listed are fine getting pruned in January or February; with the number of plants I need to prune by hand, and the number of daylight hours in the winter, I need to start now or I'd never get done!
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