MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! May this wonderful time of joy and merriment along with its message of peace and love rain down heavily on you and yours!
Hopefully most of you will be surrounded by friends/family and for those of us who are, please reach out to someone who may not and wish them the best of the holiday season.
Yet another long year will soon be over, with a fledgling New Year arriving in just 9 days.
We North Olympic Peninsula gardeners know a year is not just pages on a calendar.
It is a never ending cycle of gardening tasks, chores, plants, pruning and deadheading.
This coming January is the perfect time to reflect on the many seasons that just passed by, what we saw in our landscape, liked in the nursery and what we want to duplicate in our own yards.
If plants, bushes, trees, perennials, grasses or gardens have been in our path or blocking our site, let’s take the winter months to prune them back, transplant them or simply make compost out of them.
Underperforming plants are those you are not thrilled about, and they can be pulled out and trashed, recycled (or burnt as a yule log).
Now is the ideal time to plant woody ornamentals, so dig and fertilize away.
Most nurseries are discounting trees, so a double bonus round is in store for you this winter season. But as we begin a new year, why not put on your list plants you want to get rid of or replace?
Bulbs-a-popping
As the year begins, your bulbs start to erupt and your weeds are awakening. These past two weeks, I have been feverishly (and oh, ever so gently) covering flower beds that have spring bulbs.
I’m doing this because I am alarmed by how so many of the bulbs are popping out of the ground already thanks to our recent spat of mild weather.
Arrghhh!
Top dress your bulb beds now with a fine mulch, compost or soil.
It will not only cover their delicate heads but smother young weeds as well. Lightly cultivate the soil first to break the grounds crust and to sever weed roots. A hoe, scratcher or long tine fork works well for this scrubbing task.
Fertilize too
Then, put down a good organic fertilizer. Better yet, add lime to the bed for a spectacular growing season.
I wrote in a previous column about pruning your conifers. Not only is this the perfect time to keep them compact and shapely, but placing the boughs atop the bulbs and perennials acts as a thermal mulch, cooling the soil and tricking those tulips and temperature touchy tubers.
I cannot stress enough that this 50 degree December weather is “pushing” many perennials and bulbs into sprouting dangerously early, before we get past our killer frost or snow.
Since it will be a new year, how about some new projects? The living area of home continues to move outside as patios, barbecue areas, ponds, gazebos, fire pits and all compete for treasured leisure time.
Seed catalogs
January is dream time, too — the seed catalogs will be arriving soon. Think about adding to your home’s value by doing that dream project this year.
Besides, winter rains will clean off the area, new grass seed will grow, rain will keep the dust down and come June, your yard is improved, enhanced and ready to roll for the families outdoor gatherings.
So to all, I wish you … stay well! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
