Text by Matt Mattus
Photography by Samantha Casolari
Forced quince and forsythia blooms are omnipresent in magazines, but why not try for flowers from more challenging branches such as lilac, magnolia and rhododendron? These force better in late winter and early spring. Wrap larger buds in cotton balls and mist until they start to open––a little known flower show trick. Raise the gardening bar, and look for hard-to-find annuals from seed. Search for hip South African species like the South African foxglove, or rare spider flower,pretty ladies. And, in addition to setting out seeds and berries, the most essential thing for birds during the frozen northern winter is water. _________ Region 2: Mid-Atlantic, Appalachia, Midwest (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, Virginia, western North Carolina, western South Carolina, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, northern Arkansas, Kentucky) This is the time to expand the perennial border. Search for pre-chilled perennial seed, and sow in February. By April you’ll be rejoicing with more primula, rodgersia or purple cone-flower than any human could possibly need. Sow daylily seeds under lights. Each large black seed only needs 16 weeks of vernalization in the fridge before being sown under lights. However, daylilies take 2–3 years to bloom. Save a bundle and use a soft watercolor brush to pollinate hellebores with each other, or leave it to the bees. Seed pods will mature in May. Harvest and sow fresh seed right away and plants will grow in the first year. _________ Region 3: South, Texas, Gulf Coast (Arkansas, Oklahoma, eastern Texas, western Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida panhandle & northwest) The best way to buy winter blooming camellia plants is to select them while in bloom. Check out your local Camellia Society or botanic garden to seek out cultivars. Camellias respond well to the nitrogen found in ground cottonseed meal. Spread this slow-release plant chow under your favorite trees. Hang cut oranges for early migratory birds, and try freeze-dried meal worms for warblers, tanagers and other meat eaters. If you have patience, the secret for getting the sweetest and finest quality parsnips is to pull them in January and February. For a unique and beautiful display in your vegetable garden, sew mustard seed in late January as they do in Japan. Sown on a grid, 8-inches apart; plants bloom in early spring, turning raised beds into fields of gold. _________ Region 4: Front Range, Central and Northern Plains, Intermountain West & Rockies (Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, north Texas, western Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada) Highway plantings demonstrate every winter just how damaging salt is for plants. Avoid spreading snowmelt products near your plantings and consider calcium chloride in place of sodium chloride. Protect tender and marginally hardy plants from dry, winter winds with Christmas tree branches, old wreaths or burlap wraps. Late winter and spring thaws are the most dangerous. The goal is to keep your soil frozen. Prune stone fruit trees while dormant, as well as apples and pears. Consider using an organic dormant oil spray to provide extra protection against pests before flowers open.
Region 5: Central California & California Coast
Native annuals are a gift to gardening. Sow your own, or cheat with pre-started plants. Look for twinspur, godetia, nemisia and poppies, and mix them up! Look for more unusual South African bulbs such as cape tulip, African corn lily, baboon flower and Guernsey lily. These bulbs enjoy the unique conditions of Central California: bone dry summers and wet, foggy winters. When the soil is dry and plants are dormant, the time is ripe to prune. Stone fruits like peaches, nectarines and apricots should all be trimmed by 30 percent for best results. Coastal growers can direct seed cool weather crops such as broad beans, lettuce, onion, spinach and Swiss chard beginning in January.
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Region 6: Desert Southwest (southeast California, Arizona, New Mexico, southwest Texas)
Watch the weather for frost warnings and provide protection for citrus, in particular limes, which are most sensitive to frost. Fruit trees are best planted when temperatures are cool. Try pineapple quince, fuyu persimmon or a fig tree. Be sure to check the variety to see if a pollinator is required. Sow heirloom annuals such as painted tongue, pin cushion flower, annual poppies and sweet peas in the winter.
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Region 7: Pacific Northwest and Alaska (Northern California, Oregon and Washington Coasts, Alaska)
Evergreen hedges can be trimmed tightly in the winter and will retain their tidy appearance until spring. Few gardeners in North America can grow mountain cowslip like those in coastal Pacific areas. Tend to potted mountain cowslips early, and watch out for signs of root weevil. Trim yellowing foliage on tiny blooming alpine plants before they form buds and top dress pots and troughs with fresh gravel before blooming occurs. Divide wasabi rhizomes early, before they re-sprout, to increase your harvest. Sow early crops indoors such as broccoli and cabbage, starting in early February. Seeds require temperatures above 70 degrees for proper germination, but must be grown below 55 degrees for sturdy transplants.
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Region 8: Tropical & Subtropical (Southern Florida, Florida Keys, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hawaii)
Plumeria trees prefer to be pruned in late winter. If you wish to have dense, flowering trees, prune branches back by half their length in February. Florida gardeners should keep an eye out for frost, which can damage tender orchids, early strawberries and citrus. January is the time to repot many orchids, especially vandas and cattleyas, as late winter repotting in February will allow plenty of time for plants to place energy into new spikes for the following year. Himalayan dendrobiums will be spiking soon, so keep an eye out for mites and snails which can damage tender flowers. Avocados will be blooming in February and March, so if you forgot to add new cultivars to your garden, late January is the best time for nursery shopping for fruiting trees. And hey, it’s 2013. Isn’t it time for you to plant a lychee?
