I don’t care what the groundhog says, the first day of spring is six weeks away and the sun knows all! In response, my kalanchoe (a spindly succulent plant that I let linger in the same pot with my Christmas cactus) has confirmed that days are growing longer and brighter by blooming.
The kalanchoe houseplants that you might purchase as a Valentine’s Day gift usually have a tight cluster of bright green leaves with buds or vibrant flowers on top. These plants bloom for weeks but also take a long time to rebloom and people often throw them out. Mine love their hot, south-facing window and put out blooms every year in early February. They aren’t too showy now, but I like their survival instinct.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, I will remind you that flowering plants signify long-lasting love and cut flowers expire (and don’t clutter the home). Neither melt in your hand! With so many flowering houseplants available, check that the recipient will be able to care for the plant and that other beings in the home will be able to enjoy the plants without suffering. Check this ASPCA website for plants that may be toxic at some level for pets or small children.
Buy cut flowers or houseplants still in bud for longer-lasting blooms. You can also start a terrarium for your Valentines and they will have an instant green garden to enjoy indoors for months.
In early February, other than starting onions indoors, you might only be dreaming about summer gardens without much else to do. As you make your selections from gardening websites or catalogs, it is helpful to realize a few shopping hints.
Double check your average last spring frost date as determined by your zip code. The zones and averages have changed. If your property is always prone to wide fluctuations in temperature, you might want to adjust the official date to a week or so later for frost date calculations.
If you want to enjoy roses in your zone four or five gardens, shop for rugosa roses or those grown on their own rootstock because they will be hardier and better able to withstand our wider fluctuations in temperature.
Add edible flowers to your garden plans like pansies, nasturtium, marigolds, and arugula. Yes, the arugula leaves can be harvested while small but also as the plants get bigger and start to flower. The flowers make a pretty and spicy addition to salads.
If you desire uniform turf grass, you can plan your fertilizer program now for the season. Lawns consist of millions of individual plants. To crowd out broad-leaf weeds, start by improving the soil of your lawn next month to improve grass plant health. Corn gluten will inhibit seed germination and also add nitrogen to your lawn. If you use it (ideally in March or April), you will need to wait four to six weeks before putting down fresh grass seed.
Even in winter, I walk around my gardens and shrubs looking for potential problems. Think of it as a fitness plan! I walk my dog, and then I walk myself around the yard, picking up sticks for the compost pile or wood stove. Usually, I am observing my shrubs and focusing on a list of pruning tasks, looking for crossed or broken branches. I also take this chance to study how my favorite shrubs grow. I study the structure, including where buds form on the branches and where new branches form. For example, lilacs send out lateral branches just below the May bloom. Cutting the interior branches will encourage more width in the plant.
Take photos and review what you do from year to year to learn more about your landscape. That record will make it easier to make pruning, planting, and pest-prevention decisions in the future.
Now is a great time to take those shrub prunings and force a few branches into flower indoors. Ideal branches for forcing include willow, forsythia, viburnum, or flowering quince.
When we can’t be in the garden, we dream about garden opportunities. Be sure to review upcoming gardening events with the following groups and stores to see what can fit into your schedule. You can dream along with others! Berkshire Botanical Garden, Mad Gardeners of Connecticut, Ward’s Nursery Events, and Western Mass. Master Gardener Symposia.
Lastly, a warning: Ticks can still be active in winter when temperatures are above freezing. We have had consistent cold for weeks, but daytime temps will be above freezing occasionally and ticks will wake up. Keep up with the tick checks!
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
