April 2003

Tip Library

Tip Library

Holiday
Give your lawn a boost with an application of fertilizer this month. It will keep it greener, longer before winter really sets in.

Holiday
Keep up a regular watering schedule for your garden until the winter rains arrive.

Holiday
Don’t let your container garden go out of bloom; there are many plants that will carry on the color show during fall and winter.

Holiday
If you haven’t done so already, prune out last year’s fruiting canes on any berry bushes and train the new growth on a trellis.

Holiday
Dormant spraying for pests and diseases is especially effective in the fall. Ask your California Nursery Professional for the correct sprays.

Holiday
Berry bushes need to be pruned. Cut out last season’s canes that had fruit and train new growth onto a trellis or a similar support.

Holiday
House plants need less water in winter because of the shorter days and overcast skies; especially tif you have them in plastics pots or containers without drainage holes.

Holiday
Early blooming camellias are now available. By planting early blooming varieties now and then some of the later blooming ones you can have camellia flowers for almost a six month period.

Holiday
You can lift and divide phlox and primroses this month.

Holiday
Plant a decorative container with bulbs this week to give as a gift this Christmas.

Holiday
If you’re short on fall color in the garden, check out chrysanthemums and the various bedding plants that will bloom into winter such as pansies and violas.

Holiday
Check into spraying fruit trees now to help prevent fungus diseases and attacks from certain insects such as scale.

Holiday
Be sure to clean up the garden by pruning out infected branches, raking fallen leaves, securing plants on trellises before the winds arrive and removing rotted fruit or vegetables from the garden.

Holiday
Fuchsias should be allowed to rest from now until the last frost when you would prune them back.

Holiday
Soggy soil from winter rains will rot the tubers of tuberous begonias so be sure to lift them out of the ground and store them in a cool, dry area.

Holiday
Cool season vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus and rhubarb can be planted now.

Holiday
Remember, rain may not reach plants growing next to the house and under wide overhangs. Don’t let them dry cut.

Holiday
An early December feeding will help keep most California lawns greener during cool weather.

Holiday
Top dress garden beds with compost or wood bark products. Start a compost pile from the leaves you rake up providing they are free from disease.

Holiday
If you haven’t started your bulb garden yet, there’s still time. Consider putting some in containers so you can enjoy them close up on the patio, balcony or by the front door.

Holiday
Keep cleaning those fall leaves. They will harbor many pests if allowed to sit.

Holiday
For color in the winter garden, plant Iceland poppies, snapdragon, cyclamen, pansies and violas now.

Holiday
Protect your newly planted annuals and sprouting bulb plants from snails and slugs. Bait regularly to halt snail and slugs.

Holiday
Cover newly sprouting plants with chicken wire 3-4″ tall to keep the birds at bay.

Holiday
Plants are sure to please the gardeners on your Holiday shopping list. Choose from flowering indoor or outdoor plants, beautiful foliage plants for the home.

Holiday
Keep after snails and slugs; the tender new shoots of bedding plants and bulb flowers are their favorite meals. Ask your CCN Pro™ for the proper materials to use.

Holiday
Cacti or succulents in containers need protection from winter rains, which can actually bruise their leaves. Move them under an overhang or protected area.

Holiday
You can still plant for winter garden color. Check out the colorful annuals to use in flower beds and as bulb bed covers.

Holiday
Garden color during the fall and winter months can be achieved with a variety of shrubs – camellias, azaleas, berried plants and many more that you’ll find at your nursery.

Holiday
If you haven’t sprayed your peaches and nectarines to prevent peach leaf curl, do so immediately and follow this up with another spray before the buds swell.

Holiday
Check out daphnes, which bloom in clusters of fragrant flowers during the months of February and March.

Holiday
Garden centers are well equipped to help holiday shopping lists with plants, gardening tools, instruction books, handsome containers, and bulbs. Many have unique gift and antique shops.

Holiday
This is the month to get planting beds ready for roses, strawberries and fruit trees.

Holiday
Grapes can be pruned now. Before you start, keep in mind what you want the vine to do and prune accordingly. If in doubt, be sure to ask your local California Nursery Professional™.

Holiday
Give a cheerful Poinsettia for a hostess gift this year when you attend holiday parties.

Holiday
Early-blooming shrubs, such as flowering quince, flowering peaches and acacia, are perfect to plant now for a show of color in the early spring.

Holiday
It’s too early to prune roses in California. Wait at least until after Christmas.

Holiday
Consider a dwarf fruit tree as a holiday present. Plant it in a tub and add a big, bright bow. It will be appreciated now and in the years to come.

Holiday
Now is the peak season for camellias. Select your favorite to plant If your garden has holly, cotoneaster, pyracantha or other berried shrubs or trees be sure to incorporate them into your holiday decorating. A few well-planned snips will help shape the shrub.

Holiday
RED ALERT: If you haven’t yet sprayed your peaches or nectarines to prevent peach leaf curl, do so without delay. Follow up with another spraying when the buds just show color.

Holiday
Container gardening can be colorful and rewarding in the winter as well as spring. Choose primrose, snapdragons, cyclamen, pansies or violas to create a mini version of blooming beauty.

Holiday
Continue feeding annuals and pinching off their faded blooms so they will produce more flowers in the months to come.

Holiday
Snails and slugs love the tender growth of newly sprouted bulb flowers and young winter annuals so be sure to bait regularly.

Holiday
Fruit trees will appreciate a pruning now. Do not, however, prune any spring flowering trees or shrubs until they finish blooming.

Holiday
Start a compost pile from the leaves you rake up this winter. It will benefit your garden in the spring.

Holiday
Check dahlias stalks to see if they’ve yellowed or blackened from the cold weather.

Holiday
It’s time to lift and clean dahlia tubers. Apply an all purpose garden dust before storing them in dry sand until spring. Keep the box in a cool, dry spot like your garage.

Holiday
Bare root season is here. Choose and plant your favorite fruit trees, lilacs, roses, flowering trees and shrubs, berries and grapes now.

Holiday
When pruning roses, strip the old foliage off the plant.

Holiday
For color from shrubs in the next couple of months, plant forsythia, acacia, and flowering quince.

Holiday
Perennial vegetables such as rhubarb, artichokes and asparagus are at the nursery and now is the time to plant them.

Holiday
For color in the shadier parts of your garden, plant cinerarias, primroses, mimulus, columbine, forget-me-nots and the English Daisy.

Holiday
For a new year plant a new garden. Replace overgrown trees and shrubs.

Holiday
Now is the time to add color to flower beds.

Holiday
Get off to an early start on gladiolus plantings. Start now and plant another batch every two to three weeks for a succession of bloom starting early summer.

Holiday
Be sure to bait for snails and slugs when you plant winter bedding plants.

Holiday
January is the time to plant summer blooming bulbs – watsonia, cannas, and more.

Holiday
Spray for pests and diseases now while your garden is dormant. Check with a CCN Pro for the best control and application rate.

Holiday
Give the lawn a light feeding now to give it a boost prior to spring.

Holiday
Perk up the garden with ornamental vegetables such as flowering kale and cabbage.

Holiday
Pre-emergence control for crabgrass can be applied to your lawn this month.

Holiday
This is one of the best times to transplant both evergreen and deciduous shrubs.

Holiday
It’s time to prune your deciduous fruit trees for larger fruit and healthier trees.

Holiday
Bare root season is here. Pick out your favorite roses, lilacs and other flowering shrubs, berries and grape vines.

Holiday
For a delightful ground cover in the shadier part of the garden, plant forget-me-nots.

Holiday
Get a decorative accent with a bonus of full size fruit, plant a dwarf citrus tree in the garden or in a container.

Holiday
For spectacular garden color, plant the kaffir lily which will bloom shortly with huge umbels of orange-red blooms.

Holiday
If you haven’t dug out your dahlia tubers as yet, do so immediately otherwise they may rot because of winter rains.

Holiday
Perennial vegetables are now available – asparagus, artichokes, and rhubarb.

Holiday
Eye-catching color for the garden comes in the form of ornamental kale and cabbage. Plant some today.

Holiday
Interested in having tasty grapes and berries later on in the year? Plant them now as bare root.

Holiday
Use winter bedding plants, such as pansies, primroses and sweet alyssum, to add color to the garden from now until spring.

Holiday
For color in the shadier parts of your garden, consider cinerarias, forget-me-nots, columbine, Canterbury bells and primrose.

Holiday
Some of the best varieties of strawberries and can berries are available at this time. Check out the easy-to- plant bare root bargains.

Holiday
Prune roses and deciduous fruit, nut and shade trees.

Holiday
Time to get out in the garden to prune. This is vital for peak performance from roses, deciduous fruits, nuts and berry plants.

Holiday
Now is the time to dormant spray for pests in the garden.

Holiday
Plant summer blooming bulbs now – gladiolus, canna lilies, tuberous begonias, Mexican shell flowers and many others are available.

Holiday
In your garden while you can witness the actual color of the flowers.

Holiday
When feeding your lawn, do so with a product that does a dual job – feeds and serves as a pre-emergence weed killer.

Holiday
Plant a grapevine to cover the patio and provide sweet, juicy fruit this summer.

Holiday
Mulch around shrubs, trees, annuals, etc. to hold the weeds down and keep the moisture in.

Holiday
Both fuchsias and rhododendrons will be flower better later in the season if you take the time to prune them now.

Holiday
Plant stock for stems loaded with soft colorful blooms and a rich, spicy perfume.

Holiday
Look for early spring blooming shrubs for instant garden color – forsythia, flowering quince, acacia and more.

Holiday
Keep an eye out for an outbreak of aphids on your roses and ornamentals as the weather warms.

Holiday
For a lush, green lawn this spring and beyond, it’s time to aerate, fertilize and use pre-emergent weed control.

Holiday
For a better lawn, mow at 1 ½ – 2 inches and water deeply and thoroughly.

Holiday
Check out the tuberous begonia bulbs at your garden center for a delightful array of varieties that resemble other flowers such as the daffodil, camellias, rose or carnation when in bloom.

Holiday
February is a good time to install a water garden. Any container can be used so long as it’s watertight and holds four gallons of water. Check with your local California Certified Nursery Professional for suggested plant materials.

Holiday
Be sure to keep ample water in the basin of live Christmas trees. Dry trees are highly flammable, posing a real threat to your home. Cut trees that are dropping needles should be removed from the home as soon as possible.

Holiday
Holiday plants are flaunting their best color of the season. Cyclamen, poinsettias, amaryllis, and orchids make great gifts for anyone on your list. To dress your plant in style, consider “planting” it in a decorative pot.

Holiday
Houseplants should be wrapped or sleeved when leaving the garden center. This protects them from cold temperatures or damaging winds. Make the nursery your last stop on the way home so plants don’t have to sit in a cold car for too long.

Holiday
Keep cyclamen happy by providing them with cool night temperatures of 50 degrees F, a sunny location and slightly moist soil conditions.

Holiday
Keep poinsettias happy by providing them with cooler night temperatures (55 degrees F), a sunny location during the day and slightly moist soil.

Holiday
Poinsettias, best known of all holiday flowers, come in a wide variety of colors and choices. Choose from standards to hanging baskets to the little darling miniatures.

Holiday
Avoid using de-icing salts around turf or plants. Fertilizer, sand, sawdust or a combination of work just as well and will not injure your plants.

Holiday
Indoor plants can benefit from increased humidity by providing a pebble tray. Place plants on a tray filled with clean pebbles and water. Place plants above the water line. As water evaporates, fill tray with more water.

Holiday
Balled and burlapped Christmas trees should be kept outside until ready for use indoors.

Holiday
Newly planted evergreens may need winter protection in colder climates. Consider creating a windbreak of burlap around tender or new additions to the landscape.

Holiday
Plants should be mulched for the winter after the ground freezes. This reduces the alternate freezing and thawing that can happen to soils, causing plants to lift and expose their roots.

Holiday
Keep bird feeders stocked and a supply of feed on hand and continue feeding through early spring when natural food sources become available.

Holiday
Houseplants need as much light as possible during the winter months. Place plants near, but not touching, cold windowpanes. Rotate, when possible, to keep growth even and plants shapely.

Holiday
Keep a diary of your successes and failures in the garden.

Holiday
Take advantage of the “off-season” to catch up on all those gardening books you’ve wanted to read.

Holiday
Tools should be inspected, cleaned and properly stored when not in use. Damaged rakes, shovels and the like should be replaced before the growing season starts.

Holiday
Make a list of supplies you will need for the 2002 gardening season. Pots, labels, tools can all be purchased now with the hint of what’s to come in the spring.

Holiday
Avoid storing too much firewood inside the home. Better to keep it within easy reach of the side door. Uninvited insects can sometimes find their way into your home with stored wood.

Holiday
Inspect houseplants routinely for any signs of insects and /or diseases and address any problem before it becomes a crisis.

Holiday
It’s time to clean and store all pottery. Pots can be cleaned using a solution of one part bleach to 9 parts water. Let pots soak for an hour or two, then use a brush to remove stubborn soil. Rinse and allow pots to dry.

Holiday
Pot some spring-flowering bulbs to force for winter bloom. Hyacinths, crocus, tulips and daffodils can be tricked into blooming indoors, giving a much-needed lift during the winter months.

Holiday
Winter is a great time to plan for next year’s garden. Use graph paper and a pencil; it’s easier than using a shovel.

Holiday
Check holiday lights for signs of damaged plugs or frayed cords. When in doubt, replace lights to ensure a safe holiday season.

Holiday
Gardening books make great holiday gifts for the gardeners on your list.

Holiday
Gardening magazines make wonderful gifts for the holidays. A subscription keeps the green thumb happy all year long.

Holiday
Avoid walking across wet turf. Soil is easily compacted when wet. Turf that is frozen should not be walked on, telltale footprints will appear next spring.

Holiday
Paper whites bring fragrance and color into the home for the holidays. Potted plants or bulbs for forcing are available!

Holiday
Consider cutting branches of holly for holiday decorations this year.

Holiday
Any last minute clean ups should be done in the garden. Doing so now will reduce or eliminate problems with insects and diseases for next season.

Holiday
Got a gardening question? Try myGardenGuide the world’s largest online gardening encyclopedia.

Churchill's means family gardening

maximios

A garden is a wonderful place for a child to experience the natural world and learn how things grow. It is a place of wonder and surprise that excites the imagination as it teaches valuable lessons about the environment, responsibility, and discipline. With a little planning and effort-and a little help from you-your child can create his or her own garden world to enjoy all summer long.

Creating a Child’s Garden

Give your child his or her own special space: Rope off a corner of the family garden, prepare a separate plot, or set up a rain-barrel planter. Just be sure to place the garden where it will get plenty of sun, at leat 4-6 hours per day. Help your child create a simple plan, using kid-friendly plants, such as large colorful flowers, tasty vegetables, and interesting plants that grow quickly. Great beginner plants include morning glories, zinnias, sunflowers, sugar snap peas, pumpkins, corn and tomatoes.

While buying prefinished plants will the job easier, consider starting the garden from seed. Winter is the perfect time for planning the garden and for selecting and planting the seeds.

In early spring, help your child prepare the garden bed. Children will appreciate the process if they understand a very basic concept: The soil is the seedling’s lunch box. This is where the plant will get all the food, water and nutrients it needs for proper growth. Preparing the soil will teach your child an important lesson in the rewards of hard work.

Keep it Fun!

The Potato Volcano is a great gardening and recycling project to try. Or, if your child likes private hideaways, you can help him or her create a pole-bean teepee or a sunflower clubhouse. Whatever project your child chooses, be sure to keep things fun. Let gardening open a whole new world for your child-one filled with earthworms and flowers, sunshine and showers!