The third week of January is the time to get ready for the spring garden shows and the kick off for Western Washington is The Tacoma Home and Garden Show that runs Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.
Visit tacomahomeandgardenshow.com for speaker and show details but I’ll be speaking every day of the show and my first talk at 1 p.m. on Thursday is “Taming Your Garden: how to get control of weeds, pruning, watering and other garden chores with tips for early spring.”
Here’s some take home notes to start cracking the whip and getting that wild garden under control.
TAMING THE WEEDS BEGINS EARLY
Yes you can begin weeding as early as January. The perennial weeds such as dandelion and thistle are easy to see and easier to pull from the wet winter ground. Weeding a garden bed in winter is a tonic for body and soul. Make this the year you resolve to control weeds during the winter and early spring and you’ll have a garden to enjoy during the lusty months of May through August.
PRUNING PUTS YOU IN CONTROL
Taming a “wild” garden is most often sought after when the plants begin closing in on the house. When pathways seem constricted and windows remain dark during the day as vegetation blocks the light. Stop waiting for the perfect time of year to prune or the sharpest tools and calmest weather. It is okay to begin the purge of overgrown trees and shrubs during winter or early spring no matter what the experts claim. Yes you may lose a season of blooms if you saw back a giant rhododendron in February or use hedge trimmers on a sprawling forsythia in January. Maybe you will kill an out of control plant by pruning at the wrong time. It is okay. People come before plants and if you get wet moving evergreen branches every time to take out the garbage you have a landscape that needs taming.
Tip: Tame these plants with winter pruning now: Hydrangea paniculata or the pee gee hydrangea, fruit trees with bare branches, dormant shrubs with wild branches that block pathways or any plant you just wish would die so you could replace it.
SILENCE WATER DEMANDS WITH MULCHES
If dragging a hose around in the summer makes you weary or if your water bill soaks you in guilt it is time to tame the thirsty monsters in your garden with better soil and the magic of mulching. Improving the soil means adding organic matter such as compost that will act like a sponge to hold more moisture.
But you can also tame thirsty root systems by encouraging a deeper and wider root system that can seek out summer moisture without your help. My best example of teaching shrubs to find water is the story of my hydrangeas. A professional hydrangea grower explained that most shrubs like hydrangeas will grow larger root systems if you allow them to dry out a bit and add some compost at the edges of the roots and then water this area to entice the root spread to reach outward.
The most effective way to get deeper roots is to dig a deeper planting hole and remove the rocks and back fill with native soil mixed with compost at the bottom of the planting hole.
Don’t worry about hydrangeas wilting on hot days. This may not mean they need more water but are responding to warm air temps instead. By letting my own hydrangeas experience the stress of dry soil and watering only when the soil is very dry or watering the foliage which can absorb moisture I have reached my goal of enjoying hydrangeas that survive on rainfall alone.
More tips: The type of container you use, the quality of your potting soil and your plant material will all determine how often you need to water containers. Learn more at my e Tacoma Home Show garden seminars every day January 30 to Feb. 2 details at www.tacomahomeandgardenshow.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.
