Ruminating on Things January
January is a great time to dawdle~ Flip through seed catalogs, go online and read other gardener’s blogs, get lost on Pinterest!
Temperatures seem cold but we are actually not having a bad winter so far; temperatures are hovering in the high 20’s but there isn’t any snow cover.
Hopefully you have cut up the branches of your Christmas tree to scatter over your perennial to help keep them insulated from the temperature fluctuations we are experiencing.
Some towns grind up the trees and allow you to take it home for free. Consider doing so on acid loving plants like spruce, heather, rhododendrons, azaleas and blueberries.
On a sunny cold day, use a pair of binoculars to see if your flex-seal gutters are dripping. You will see little icicles or water dripping at seams or corners of your gutters. If so, come late spring when the gutter is dry, you can spray a rubber membrane to stop the leak.
I can’t wait to get to use my plant palette this coming season!
Have You Tried Forcing Blossoms?
Many flowering shrubs and fruit trees can offer signs of spring just by witch-hazel putting them into a pail of water. This technique called forcing, can give you a free, floral display. If you clip pussy willows, just take them out of the water as the catkins open to preserve them.
If you have any daffodil, crocus or tulip bulbs, and they have been stored where it is cold, you can force them also.
Have fun and try it at least once in your life~
Jacrist Gardening Design Head Start
It’s hard to believe but I’ve been busy completing designs for the 2017 Season already. If you have purchased or own a commercial or residential property and are thinking of making some landscaping or hardscaping changes, please contact me ASAP, especially if you are looking for a May/June installation.
I also invite you to Jacrist’s Facebook page to read posted articles and view pictures of completed projects from last season.
Speaking of which~
In addition to receiving two New York State Nursery & Landscape Association Beautification Awards in 2016 for our Five Hundred Seneca project, we also garnered a landscaping award from PlantWNY, our regional landscape association, for a large residential project we completed last August.