75 Degrees? Winter Must Be Over!
Ha! This is the exact headline I used last year and the temperature was identical today! The differences so far this winter have been the early hard freeze and the vicious follow-up freeze that did some damage to some of our borderline zone 8 plants like pittosporum and ligustrum, but it’s too early to tell if there is permanent damage just yet.
We are continuing to stay somewhat dry in spite of a couple flooding rains, and way too many warm days to call it much of a winter. Still, we have a long ways to go before we are out of the freeze zone. If we get more rain the weeds will explode onto the scene in February, and trees may start to bud early.
We are busy putting out our first winter weed application, but remember, one application won't cure all your weed problems! We recommend our 7 step yearly lawn application program or at the very least the 3 most important weed control applications in winter, spring, and fall for best results.
Our crews are also out trimming crape myrtles and cutting back roses, perennials, and grasses, so please let us know if you are not already on a regular schedule for these chores.
My official prediction: Regardless of what the weather is doing, Spring will begin March 20. I don’t think I can go wrong with that one.
Our Annual Mulch Special Continues Through February
Mulching your beds is absolutely the best thing you can do for the health of your soil and plants. Mulch reduces weeds, improves soil structure, conserves moisture, protects plants from extreme cold and summer heat, and gives your beds a neat appearance.
How much do you need? We recommend adding 2” to existing mulch or 3” to unmulched areas. A 2 cu ft bag will cover about 10 sq ft 2” deep or 7 sq ft 3” deep.
Take advantage now! Mention our newsletter for 20% off normal prices.
DISCOUNTED PRICEHardwood: $5.00 per 2 cu ft bag
Dark brown, enriches soil as it decomposesCedar: $5.85 per 2 cu ft bag
Great cedar smell, lighter color, lasts longerRed or Black Mulch: $5.60 per 2 cu ft bag
For a decorative look
Prices include delivery and installation; extra charges may apply for weeding or leaf clean ups if needed.
Winter To-Do List
February is the month to transplant trees, shrubs, and many perennials. If you have something that doesn’t quite fit and has not been in the ground too many years, now is the time to find it a new home. Try to keep as much soil around the root ball as you can and water with root stimulator and liquid fish/seaweed emulsion to help the plant survive.
While trees are still void of foliage, prune to remove mistletoe, low limbs, and perform corrective pruning for crossed limbs, weak forks, and other potential hazards. It is much easier to see what needs to be done when the leaves are off.
Cut back ornamental fountain grasses, roses, and groundcovers such as liriope and Asian jasmine this month. We are strongly recommending that everyone have their liriope (monkey grass) cut back every year. There is a fungal crown rot that is infecting liriope throughout the area. It is a serious disease that will slowly kill out large patches of your bed and has no practical chemical control. Cutting the plant back in late winter is one of the recommended preventative measures along with avoiding too much water.
This is also the time for severe pruning of overgrown shrubs, or shall we say perhaps a shrub that may not have been planted in the best location? Regardless, you can cut many shrubs back to wood now with a good chance they will leaf back out in spring.
Veggie gardeners have a lot on their plate this month. It is time to plant many cool weather leafy and root vegetables, including onions, carrots, kale, peas, broccoli, collards and most all greens, and even lettuce. You may still have to cover tender new plants a few times, but all of these are at their best before temperatures get hot.
Early Bloomers
With a mild winter like we have had so far, it’s easy to start getting spring fever a little early. Some of our plants get it too, and there are several that will start blooming in the next few weeks. Some of these are old-timey garden favorites and well worth considering for your yard. These plants aren’t just helping to brighten our winter days with color. They also provide much needed early forage for the honey bee and other wildlife.
Flowering quince, Chaenomeles japonica, is a rather non-descript shrub in the summer, best suited for the back of the bed or tucked in with other evergreen shrubs. But in February it is spectacular in pinks, whites, or reds.
Forsythia, Forsythia intermedia spectablis, is the arching shrub of bright yellow that you may even see at old abandoned homesites.
Not to be confused with forsythia is Lady Banks rose, Rosa banksiae. It is equally brilliant but needs a large space or pergola to climb over, and usually blooms a little later. White varieties are available too.
Not as showy as some but well worth having in your shade garden is the Leatherleaf mahonia, Mahonia bealei. These bloom in cluster of yellow in Jan. — Feb and form grape-like clusters of blue fruits, a favorite food of the cedar waxwing. The coarsely toothed bluish green foliage is interesting year-round.
Down a little lower to ground, daffodils, jonquils, and paper whites are emerging, and some of the earlier types will be in bloom shortly. Do you have a few sprinkled in your beds?
The winter flowering honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima, is a shrub form of the honeysuckle family that is desirable for its fragrance, and bees love it.
Winter flowering jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum, is a low sprawling shrub with fragrant yellow flowers, and like lonicera, it has attractive foliage during summer as well.
Several of our fruit trees will bloom in February, but my favorite is the native wild plum, Prunus texana or Prunus Mexicana. They are covered with creamy white blooms that fill the entire yard with sweet fragrance, produce fruit for wildlife and jelly making, and are tough as nails to boot. What more can a Texas gardener ask for?
February Chores
- Cut back Asian jasmine, liriope, and roses
- Treat crape myrtles with dormant oil for bark scale
- Make major pruning changes to overgrown shrubs
- Prune low limbs on trees
- Prune dormant perennials and fountain grasses
- Plant and transplant trees and shrubs
- Apply pre-emergent and broadleaf herbicides
- Change water and clean water gardens and koi ponds
Our goal is to fulfill the needs of the customer by providing timely, quality services and products.
Thanks for your business!
Ash trees are widely planted throughout our area, and Texas ash, Fraxinus texensis, is also native to our area. Arizona ash were widely planted in the past and are not the best choice, but Texas ash is well suited to the climate and soils here and have had minimal pest and disease issues.
Due to the high mortality rate and rapid spread, it may be prudent for properties with ash trees to monitor their trees and consider a preventative program. Borers are very difficult to treat once a tree is infested and it is unlikely that the pest can be eliminated. Monitoring is difficult at best. The mature beetles are tiny, less than a half-inch long and metallic green in color. Adults may be present during summer.
October started with another hot and dry week but then went crazy. More records, but instead of heat we set new record lows for October coupled with record non-stop rains. It rained for seven days in a row, with even more scattered throughout the month! Not exactly the pleasant fall weather we were looking for. Our normal first freeze date is usually around Thanksgiving, and hopefully we can see some nice weather between now and then.
Brown patch will be occurring now after all the rain in quite a few St Augustine lawns. Watch for brown circular areas in your lawn. If wet conditions persist this fungus can spread and cause damage to your turf.
You may also see signs of Take All root rot in St Augustine. In the fall you will see sporadic yellow patches throughout, and dead patches form from spring into summer. There is no full cure for this devastating disease, but a fungicide treatment and applications of peat moss and sulfur to increase acidity are the recommended controls.
Another smart thing to do this time of year is test your rain/freeze sensor. Verify after one of these rains that your red light is on and the controller is inactive. As soon as the temperature drops below 40 the light should also come on to keep the clock from running and creating an ice hazard for cars or pedestrians. This is especially important for commercial properties due to the high liability they may incur, and rain/freeze sensors are required by law for all sprinkler systems.
We have a great assortment of year-round residents that appreciate the extra forage in winter— cardinals, chickadees, wrens, dove, titmice, downy woodpeckers, jays, and red bellied sapsuckers to name a few. But a bird feeder has the potential to attract numerous other species that may only be passing through. Watch for juncos, cedar waxwings, yellow rump warblers, red breasted nuthatches, goldfinches, orange crowned warblers, and more.
The best research has found that dormant oil sprayed before the leaves emerge and a systemic insecticide containing imacloprid will need to be applied in spring and possibly 1-2 more times through the season. On small crapes with minor infestations you can also wash and rub the scale off with soapy water.
The scale nymphs will begin crawling in early April and then attach and begin feeding. They become covered with a waxy shell and may have up to 4 generations of eggs in a season. After hatching, the tiny crawlers emerge from under the scale and spread out on the same plant, or are windblown or travel on birds to other plants.
Don’t let a winter storm shut your business down or create a hazardous situation for people trying to access your home or business!
We are continuing to stay somewhat dry in spite of a couple flooding rains, and way too many warm days to call it much of a winter. Still, we have a long ways to go before we are out of the freeze zone. If we get more rain the weeds will explode onto the scene in February, and trees may start to bud early.
Cut back ornamental fountain grasses, roses, and groundcovers such as liriope and Asian jasmine this month. We are strongly recommending that everyone have their liriope (monkey grass) cut back every year. There is a fungal crown rot that is infecting liriope throughout the area. It is a serious disease that will slowly kill out large patches of your bed and has no practical chemical control. Cutting the plant back in late winter is one of the recommended preventative measures along with avoiding too much water.
Forsythia, Forsythia intermedia spectablis, is the arching shrub of bright yellow that you may even see at old abandoned homesites.
