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

WINTER BEAUTY: "All season interest" is a popular catch-phrase in landscaping today. Broadleaf and needle leaf evergreen trees and shrubs and evergreen groundcovers and vines are obvious all season plants. The following are other plants with their own special winter beauty:

• River Birch Tree - beautiful cream to salmon colored peeling bark.
• Paperbark Maple Tree - peeling cinnamon brown bark.
• Coral Bark Maple Tree - brilliant reddish bark.
• Chinese or Lace Bark Elm Tree - gray, green, orange and brown bark.
• Red Twig Dogwood Shrub - bright red stems. Cut back older stems in the Spring to insure new growth and good color for next winter.
• Yellow Twig Dogwood Shrub - bright yellow stems. Again, cut out oldest growth each spring to insure good winter color.
• Burning Bush - each branch has four "wings" which catch snow and ice in lovely patterns.
• Winterberry 'Sparkleberry' - profuse clusters of red berries on the female plants. Be sure to have one male plant nearby for pollination.
• Sedum 'Autumn Joy' - (perennial) unclipped flower heads from Fall are rust colored in a white landscape.
• Purple Coneflower - (perennial) unclipped flower heads form large seed heads which attract birds to your winter garden.
• Lavender - foliage remains a striking silver green in all seasons.

Take a walk around your neighborhood or at Betty's to see if you can spot the beauties of these plants. You may want to add some of them to your own landscape.

RECYCLE: Prune off cut Christmas tree branches individually and lay over marginally winter hardy plants like aucuba, verbena, butterfly bush, daphne, yucca, first year plantings and especially camellia exposed to winter sun. The branches will not only provide insulation, but the stiff needles will prick the noses of foraging deer … protecting azaleas, ivy, and pansies, etc..

Place wood ashes in your vegetable or perennial garden … even your compost pile. One half cup of ash contains 5-25% potassium per square yard.

REMOVALS: Now is the best time to have tree removal work done. Many companies offer 10-20% winter discounts. Plus, there are no leaves to deal with. Landscape design, bed mulching and edging, and irrigation systems discounts are also common.

PERENNIALS: Re-bury and re-mulch perennials, bulbs and roots heaved out of the ground by the freeze and thaw cycle.

COMPOST: Clean up all fallen leaves and debris and place on your compost pile. If left in where fallen, they promote fungus spore growth in early spring cool, wet weather. Turn your compost pile at least monthly to even out decomposition. One central 'hot-spot' will not spread to the whole pile without help.

SNOW: Use a broom in an upward motion to remove heavy snow from trees and shrubs. Let ice melt. Use lawn or plant fertilizer, not salt, to melt snow and ice on walks and driveway. Calcium chloride or urea (46-0-0) are better choices than salt. Sand or kitty litter are also good choices. Spread evenly with a hand held broadcast spreader.

COLD WEATHER CARE: Watch the weather forecasts for incoming cold waves. Spray anti-desiccants like Rockland's 'Winter Shield' or 'Wilt-Pruf' on broadleaf evergreens to protect them from winter burn.
Winter burn permanently browns out edges of leaves and sometimes whole leaves when cold winds remove all moisture from evergreen leaves. If the winter is dry, water plants during warm periods especially newly planted specimens. Water when the temperature is rising, not falling. Re-apply 'Deer-Away' after any snow melt. Pay special attention to feeding birds (and animals) during harsh winter conditions. Peanut suet or peanut based foods carry extra protein for the birds. Birds need water, too!

PRUNE AND PROTECT: Prune maple, birch and dogwood trees now. You will lose some flowers from the dogwood but if the pruning is needed it will be all the more beautiful next year. Cut ornamental grasses within 1-6" of ground level as their 'frames' (upright foliage) collapse. Pack snow around tree trunks to keep animals away. The pulp in bark is very desirable to field mice. When no snow is available, spray 'Ropel' on trunks to repel rabbits. Use hydrated lime (2 c. per cup of water) or lime sulfur spray to prevent sunscald on the south and west facing sides of tree trunks.

FRUITS: Prune blueberries. Cut the tips back to 4 or 5 buds. Prune gooseberries to enhance a vase shape to the plant. Prune raspberries. Cut ever-bearing varieties slightly to promote lateral can growth. Prune grape vines. Eliminate all but 6 canes. Cut those canes back to two leaf nodes. Throw all debris onto the compost pile.

DISEASE AND INSECT CONTROL: Spray lime sulfur spray on fruit trees, lilac, roses, crabapple, photinia and dogwood on a warm, dry day to control various fungal diseases. Spray dormant oil (or 'Sunspray' oil) on euonymus, azalea, pieris, boxwood and grapes to control scale, spider mites, lace bug, leaf minor and other over-wintering insect pests. When applying the oil, the ambient temperature must be at least 40° F but 50° F is preferred. DO NOT spray blue tinted, needle leaf evergreens, maples or perennials. Do not spray any other plant that has also been sprayed with lime sulfur within the previous 30 days.

TOOL CARE: Clean out tank sprayers. If you have used an oil spray, use the household cleaner '409' to clean the sprayer. Clean and lubricate all tools.

WINTERGREEN: Grow wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) in the shade garden. Cut and crush leaves for a fragrant dish of teaberry scent.

FUN! Visit the National Arboretum. There's no traffic and winter landscape examples of exfoliating tree bark, berries and ornamental grasses are as startling as the bonsai exhibit.

INDOORS

HOUSEPLANTS: NASA studies prove that 15-20 foliage plants can refresh 1800 square feet of home air by removing toxic chemicals. Ferns and ficus are among the best selections.

Clean and check your humidifier. Dry air is poor air for people, stresses houseplants and promotes winter insects. Place plants on trays lined with pebbles and filled with water to provide optimum humidity.

Rotate houseplants weekly to maintain uniform shape. Fertilize houseplants with liquid fertilizer or fish emulsion when watering. Remember that even houseplants need a dormant season. Use only about one-half the amount of fertilizer you would use during the active growing season.

Watch for mites, scale, whitefly and mealy bugs. Use insecticidal soap to prevent insects and 'Wilt Pruf' mixed with pyrethrines or resmethrins to control insects. Except for gardenias and bonsai plants, your watering touch should be light during cooler periods. Do not use cold water. It shocks the plant roots. Use room temperature water and keep water off the foliage of the plant … especially African Violet leaves.

Re-pot root bound house plants up one container size. Freshen soil of all other plants by brushing off the top 1" of soil and replacing it with new potting soil.

HERBS: The ten herbs most suitable for growing as house plants are parsley, thyme, summer savory, sweet marjoram, chervil, dwarf dill, oregano, chives, dwarf green basil and dark opal basil. This is a great time to work on an indoor herb garden.

SEED STARTING: Buying seed packs early assures the best selections. Perennial seeds take a long time to germinate so start delphinium, 'Shasta' daisy, carnation, digitalis and armeria now. Annuals like impatiens, snapdragons and petunias should be started now as well.

READ: Seed and plant catalogs. Many can now be ordered over the internet if you aren't already a customer. You may not order from the catalogs but you will learn a lot. "Wayside Gardens", "Johnny's Select Seeds", "Park Seed", and "Burpee" are particularly informative. Michael Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs is an excellent reference work for your permanent library.