Plenty of Rain... But Not Much Water
January is set to go in the books as the 8th wettest on record for DFW, but we have seen very little freezing weather and only a brief show of freezing precipitation. It seems colder than it really is when we have these cold drizzly days, and we don’t even get any snow to play in. But our winters have been running longer even when they aren’t that cold, so lots can still happen in the next two months.
One negative effect of relatively warm wet winters is the abundance of winter weeds. I’ve already seen henbit and chickweed in bloom and we can expect a long weedy spring. Another effect is that some of our plants don’t know it is still supposed to be winter. Buds are swelling on many trees, and I’ve got daffodils and oxalis in full bloom already. I am cutting back my roses this week, and several of them are blooming - crazy!
We often get hard freezes late in winter which can set back the plants that bloom too early, possibly damaging fruit trees and spring bulbs. Keep on with the end of winter chores though, which will be addressed below. We can’t control the weather, but we can still prepare for the real start of spring.
Veggie Gardens Can Be Started Now
If all you like to grow are tomatoes and peppers, just skip this article. But if you have the space and interest, there are lots of cool season crops that you can get a head start on. Onions, potatoes, cabbages, broccoli, carrots, radishes, and some greens like collards will tolerate moderate freezes and can be started now.
For a kid’s garden, consider a small patch of potatoes. Buy a few seed potatoes at your local feed store, cut them in thirds or quarters and dry for few days on newspaper, then plant “eye’ side up in deep loose soil. In about 3 months your kids can dig up fresh taters and then you can give them a learning experience in the kitchen too!
February and March 'To Do' List
February is a big month for gardeners, but with our crazy weather many of these chores can stretch into March if cold wet weather keeps you inside.
Leaves: Most, but not all of our trees have dropped their leaves and you need to finish mulching or cleaning them up. Marcescence is the term for deciduous trees that hold onto their leaves late into winter, and there are different theories about it. Shumard red oaks and Blackjack oaks are two local species notorious for doing so. I have two Blackjacks and one Shumard in my yard, and one of the Blackjacks is still completely covered.
People think of Live oaks as evergreen, but they are not. They sprout new foliage at the same time that they drop their old leaves so they never look bare. That drop will occur in Feb - March, giving us another round of leaf clean-ups in late winter. If you need help with a clean up please call to let us know.
Remember too that we clean gutters! Let us know if we can help you with that!
Weeds: Our first round of Spring pre-emergent weed control will start in January-February. This application and the next one in March may also contain a broadleaf weed killer for any dandelions, henbit, or chickweed that have come up over the last few months. Even when they are caught early it still takes two applications to kill them. Please note that it is difficult and not really practical to control grassy winter weeds like wild rye and rescue grass. They require spot treatments with specialty herbicides which take several weeks to work and are only partially effective. It is more practical to just mow them. As the weather warms broadleaf herbicides can also damage St. Augustine lawns, especially during the transition period. Even though many products are labeled for use on St. Augustine, use caution.
Pruning: Perennials, salvia Greggi, ornamental fountain grasses, and roses should be cut back now. Winter is also the time to make drastic cuts if you are trying to reduce the size of overgrown shrubs.
Groundcovers: Our liriope and Asian jasmine groundcovers should be cut back before they start to put out new growth in spring. Mowing or trimming liriope also helps reduce the crown rot disease that has become common in our area. Mondo grass should not be cut unless it is brown from sunburn or having gotten too dry. It tends to take a long time to recover from mowing.
Transplanting: January and February are good months for transplanting shrubs and dividing most perennials. However, it is not always practical to transplant large shrubs or trees for several reasons. There are often sprinkler pipes or other plants in close proximity, making it difficult to excavate an appropriate root ball. The labor for transplanting may equal or exceed the cost to install a new plant. And there is always a higher mortality with transplants than with container plants.
Tree Trimming: Limb structure is easiest to see when trees are dormant, so winter is a good time to clean up your trees. Remember in Arlington that tree limbs by city code must be kept 14 ft above the street. This is a good idea regardless of where you live, so your limbs are not damaged by delivery trucks and they do not impede emergency vehicles like fire trucks.
Planting: Fall and winter are great seasons for planting new shrubs and trees to avoid moisture stress and get the root systems established before summer. Exceptions would be palms or tender zone 8 plants.
Planning: Start lining up your improvement plans now! We book out for several weeks starting in March.
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