Garden Tips for December 2006
by Thea Fiskin, UC Master Gardener

Cold temperatures and rainy days can keep you out of the garden but that is the perfect time to start planning what you will do next year. On the days you can get outside start working on winter pruning and general winter cleanup. Get in the holiday spirit by cutting branches of shrubs with bright berries or glossy leaves and using them to decorate your home. Great materials to use are holly, magnolias, pieris, pines, and ivy. Even bald branches from the curly willow and mistletoe can make festive decorations.

HOLIDAY PLANTS
When selecting a poinsettia choose plants with bracts completely colored. Do not buy plants with wilted, fallen or yellow leaves. Since they are very cold sensitive, protect them from the chilly outdoors even when taking plants home from the store. Unwrap carefully as the branches are quite brittle and break easily. Select a good spot in the house that is not subject to cold or warm drafts. Water when soil is dry, making sure to punch holes in foil so water can drain into a saucer. Also be sure to discard excess water.

Cyclamen is another great plant that's available now. Put it in a bright location indoors or plant outside for a punch of color. Choose a spot outside with part shade and protect it from the rain which will cause spotting on the petals. I grow mine in a container on the front porch and after it finishes blooming the container goes in a back corner until next winter when it blooms again.

Amaryllis is another plant that has life after the holidays. When they finish blooming plant them in the ground in a sheltered area or a large pot. They will bloom the next year in the springtime.

WHAT TO PLANT
For instant winter color try calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies, primroses, snapdragons, stock, and violas.

Since bulb season is nearly over, nurseries should have them on sale. The selection may be limited, but the prices should be right. Don't buy any bulbs that are moldy or mushy, these will simply rot in the ground.

Later this month bare root trees, vines, and roses will arrive in nurseries. Plan to shop early for the best selection. If looking for a particular variety, call around to the nurseries since each nursery carries a little different selection.

GARDEN CHORES
Listen for frost warnings and protect sensitive plants. Plants will survive better if well watered, so don't let them dry out.
Cut tops of asparagus and pile compost or aged manure over crowns.
Now through January is a good time to prune roses, fruit trees, and most deciduous trees and shrubs. However do not prune early flowering shrubs such as forsythia, quince and spireas. Prune these after they bloom. Consult pruning books or Sunset's Western Garden Book, if you are uncertain how to proceed.

Be on the lookout for mistletoe. This parasitic weed is easy to spot this time of year growing on branches of deciduous trees. Mistletoes have green stems with thick leaves, oval in shape. Plants grow in round balls up to 2 feet in diameter. It penetrates through tree bark and absorbs water and nutrients from its host. The most effective way to control mistletoe is to prune out infected branches rather than just cutting out the mistletoe, which will just grow back. For further information download the Mistletoe Pest Note from the UC IPM Website at www.ipm.ucdavis.edu.

Remove winter weeds popping up now. Each weed produces thousands of seeds so pull them before they flower and set seeds. In large flowerbeds or lawns apply a preemergence herbicide to prevent annual weed germination. Discourage weeds by mulching flowerbeds, shrubs and trees with a thick layer of organic (shredded or chipped bark, etc.) or inorganic (gravel or rocks) mulch. If using preemergence herbicides, spray first then add a layer of mulch.

Winterize tools, remove soil, and sharpen hoes, spades, pruners, loppers and saws. Paint tool handles a bright color for quick location when you've misplaced them in your garden. Take hardwood cuttings of crape myrtle, flowering quince, forsythia, hydrangea, roses and spireas and start propagating.

CRITTER CONTROL
Spray deciduous fruit trees, nut trees, and roses with a dormant oil spray to kill over wintering aphids, mites, scale etc. Hand picks slugs and snails or set out bait.

GIFT IDEAS
What to give your favorite gardener? Gee…where to start? How about a subscription to a gardening magazine, or a book on their favorite gardening subject, nursery gift certificates or a garden tool to make chores easier, a garden fountain or other decoration for the garden?

Happy Holidays from all the Master Gardeners!