Be sure to stop by Betty's if you have any questions or need advice.

I bet you thought you were done with lawns for this season! In truth, you are if you have winterized and stored your mower (complete with cleanup, drained oil and gas, replaced spark plugs, oil and air filters). Just two things need a mention:

1. Don't wait for the last leaf to fall before raking leaves off your lawn. Prolonged coverage with dense leaves can actually kill lawn grasses outright or foster disease and/or insect infestation.
2. Do not walk on your lawn when the grass blades are frozen. The blades break off at ground level and many will not re-grow in the Spring.

Landscape Plants

Scale and Dormant Oil Treatment. Camellias, euonymus, ivy, in fact, most evergreen plants (broadleaf and needle, or scale leaf) can be infested with scale. We first notice a yellowing of the foliage. This occurs when the scale insect attaches itself to the leaf stems and branches near the leaves and then the backs of the leaves, inserts its little snout and sucks out nutrients from the plant. Step two is for the insect to lay its eggs on the plant and cover them with a smooth or fluffy whitish coating for safekeeping. Fortunately, this coating is easy to see and identify. It is distinct from the normal plant appearance and doesn't rub off.

Treatment during the growing season consists of pruning back of heavily coated stems and repeat spraying with a strong, systemic insecticide like "Isotox" or "Orthene." Hopefully, when the eggs hatch under the coating, there will be enough insecticide within the plant system to kill the new critters as they feed.

Winter treatment is far easier and non-toxic to you and the environment. When the plant is dormant you can apply horticultural oil to the entire plant. This oil will suffocate the eggs under the scale coating. For obvious reasons, this product is also called dormant oil. It must be applied when the ambient temperatures are between 40F and 85F and when no below-32F temperatures are predicted for the next 24 hours. This is the best treatment for scale. Take advantage of this opportunity to really rid your plants of a serious insect problem.

After the Ground Freezes top off the mulch around your roses, perennials, and bulbs. They need a little extra winter protection especially from what is called frost heaving. Frost heaving occurs when the frozen ground unfreezes during brief mild temperature periods, and then freezes again. The root masses or bulbs are pushed ever closer to the ground surface and become more exposed to cold. A thicker mulch layer prevents warm winter sun from reaching the ground and starting this heaving process.

Vegetable Garden. Ashes from wood fires may be spread over your vegetable garden to make it more fertile. They are the natural form of potassium or potash represented as "K" in the N-P-K of fertilizer formulations. Do not use ashes from coal fires. These contain toxins harmful to plants. Also, never burn pressure treated wood in your fireplace. It gives off fumes which are toxic to you. Most wood intended for outdoor use has been treated with chemicals for preservation. If you aren't sure, don't use it. It's not worth the risk.

Birds (and probably squirrels)

The winter months give us time to appreciate wildlife in our gardens. Provide food and water and "They will come." Bird food now comes in specially formulated mixes to encourage certain species of birds over others. Read the labels! Also, some bird feeders are designed to work for certain species of birds and not others. There are even squirrel feeders. Do a little research before shopping if you are particular about which birds you feed.

Providing water during periods of freezing temperatures is a simple matter of acquiring a bird bath heater. There is the double advantage of hot having to dismantle and store your bird bath for winter, too.

Christmas Gifts for Gardeners

Gardening types are a blessing around Christmas time. It's always easier to find a gift for someone with a hobby, avocation, or obsession whichever the case may be. And, I don't believe there is a gardener alive who has everything. Possible gifts may include:

1. An attractive container holding seed packets and a special pair of gardening gloves.
2. New hand tools of rust-proof material with brightly-colored rubber handles to make them easy to hold and almost impossible to lose.
3. Purchase a membership in a national or local gardening society like the American Horticulture Society or the local Rose or Herb Society. Such memberships usually include privileges at famous gardens and arboretums and periodic publications.
4. A special shrub or tree. Our ground never freezes too deeply to plant. Your gardening friend can appreciate your gift all year.
5. Books. Look for relatively newly-published books on subjects of special interest to your friend.
6. Larger tools - the best rake, the perfect shovel, etc.
7. Gardening appliances: Spreaders, tree pruners, hedge trimmers, rototillers, lawn edgers, weed wackers, lawn mowers, or tractors.
8. Travel. Package tours of famous gardens throughout the world are available from many sources. Check with the American Horticulture Society, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, the National Arboretum, among others, for tips. This is definitely a "high-end" gift, but if you can afford it, an unforgettable experience for your gardening friend.
9. Gift Certificates at local garden centers (like Betty's). Like they say, you can never go wrong with a gift certificate.

A Live Christmas Tree

Enjoying a real Christmas tree in your home (not artificial) without taking on partial responsibility for having killed a tree is soul satisfying. To do so and successfully add a tree to your home landscape also eases the pangs in your wallet. It isn't an easy undertaking but it is possible if you follow these guidelines:

• Tree Selection. The best species for live Christmas trees in our area are Blue Spruce (Colorado or "Fat Albert"), or a heavy sheared Eastern White Pine. Be aware the either will eventually be a very big tree - up to 30'-60' tall and 10'-20' wide. Make sure you have space in your landscape for such a tree. Pruning can help, but this is not a foundation plant.
• Plant Care and Transport. You will need a stout rubber or galvanized metal tub at least 36" wide and some support for the root ball. An old car tie set in the tub works well to keep the root ball out of standing water and supported well enough to stay upright. The tree may only be moved by lifting from the root ball; never grabbing by the tree trunk.
• Indoor Display. Your tree may safely remain indoors for a maximum of 6 to 7 days. Place the tree in a cool room in only indirect light. Shut any heating vents near the tree. From the time you bring your tree home until it is placed in its planting hole, keep the root ball moist by watering with 1 quart of warm water each day. Also, before bringing the tree inside, spray its foliage with a mixture of water and the anti-desiccant "Wilt-Pruf." Use miniature lights and only illuminate when there is someone there to enjoy it.
• Hardening Off. Plan to remove your tree to a garage or sheltered carport for a 2-week stay before planting. Continue to water with the quart of warm water daily. Your tree needs this time to gradually adapt to the colder outside temperatures.
• Plant Your Tree in a full sun exposure. Also, do not plant in any area that remains soggy the day after a rain. Neither pines nor spruce will tolerate wet locations.

Cut Christmas Trees

Selecting a cut tree is usually a matter of personal aesthetics. You want the "perfect" tree, of course. You also want a fresh tree. Test for freshness by bending a major branch. It should be pliable and less than 5% of the needles should fall as you bend the branch. When you reach home with your purchase, cut 2" off the bottom of the trunk to re-open water channels. Immediately set the tree in a container which holds 1-2 quarts of water. Floral preservative, available at your garden center, added to the water will increase the longevity of your cut tree. The night before you bring the tree into the house, place it in your garage where partial heat will allow the branches to relax a bit . . . making it easier to decorate the next day. Do not allow the water in the tree stand to empty at any time. Cool temperature, indirect light, and sparing use of the tree lights will all help to preserve the beauty of your cut tree.

Collecting Christmas Greens

Northern Virginia is bountiful in its plant life. Southern Magnolia, Holly, Smilax or Jackson Vine, Ivy, Hemlock, Pine, Cryptomeria, Yew, Aucuba, Boxwood, Pyracantha and Nandina may all be pruned to provide Christmas greenery. There are a few points to remember when collecting these decorative materials:

1. Remember that you are pruning and in the wrong season. Remove the branch or stem at its base where it intersects another branch or stem. Prune with an eye toward thinning the entire plant equally for better air and light circulation in the growing season.
2. When you bring your collection inside, re-cut the ends of each stem or branch and then splitthem either with a knife or by smashing with a hammer just before plunging them into warm water. The greenery needs to remain in warm water for 8-24 hours. Allow to dry and then spray all foliage with "Wilt-Pruf."