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January Gardening by Ron Dieter, Sunnyfield Greenhouse & Gardens January 4, 2000 This is the time of year when gardeners need a wheelbarrow to bring in the daily mail. Seed and garden catalogs are arriving by the dozens, along with junk mail pushing tillers, tools, and garden gadgets. Mail order merchandisers trade customer lists like baseball cards and we end up with three or four copies of the same catalog crammed into the mailbox. Like other gardeners I look forward to receiving my favorite catalogs to keep me in touch with gardening. But there are a number of other activities to keep gardeners busy on winter days. Now is a good time to look over trees and shrubs and do needed corrective pruning. Without leaves, the framework and branching structures are easily examined. Look for crossing branches that rub against each other and for dead or broken branches. Winter is the best time to prune woody plants because insects carrying diseases won’t be attracted to fresh pruning wounds. Pruning in winter is especially important for oak trees to avoid attracting bark beetles that transmit the deadly oak wilt virus. Take advantage of sunny winter days to check your plants and shrubs for rodent and deer injury. Rabbits find the branches of burning bush especially tasty. A ring of chicken wire will keep them away. Check evergreens after a snowfall. Use a broom or rake to gently lift branches and shake off snow before it freezes in place. If you find shrubs burdened with ice, leave them alone and allow the ice to melt naturally. You’ll do more damage trying to correct the problem. After the holidays, some folks set their Christmas tree in the backyard to provide some extra shelter for birds. Later in the spring the tree can be composted and used as mulch. A winter visit to a botanic garden conservatory can be a refreshing experience for winter weary gardeners. The fragrances and lush tropical foliages provide a welcome contrast to the cold white winter landscape. The conservatories of the Quad City Botanic Center and Peoria’s Park District are just a short drive away. For a winter garden weekend, consider a trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Japanese Garden there is especially beautiful in the winter and the conservatories offer special displays during the winter season. The CBG also offers weekend classes and lectures on gardening and landscape design. Any gardener could easily spend a rewarding weekend there, and return home eager for spring to arrive. |
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