How Not to Fear Pruning

It's almost the end of January and we are experiencing a lovely warm spell which meant temperatures of +4 Celsius here yesterday and rain.  Yes, a fair bit of it too!  Rain on icy streets is not a good combination.  

The sunrises have been vivid in corals, pinks and yellows the last couple of days and I've shed my winter jacket for my fall coat.  I'm coaxing a mandevilla vine back to health after a mealy bug attack and trying to keep my poinsettia alive.  I just can't seem to keep them happy for very long.  The only window with good light is close to the patio door which gets used several times a day for the dogs. As you know, poinsettias do not like drafts nor heat vents.  This site has both. Sigh.

Did you know the daffodils are blooming in Vancouver already?
Spring is just around the corner!!

So not a lot of exciting stuff going on at the moment.  The stores now have spring product and seeds in place.  Muttart Conservatory is featuring a Chinese New Year display which I simply must go to.  My daughter and her boyfriend went on Sunday and stayed for the fireworks which were quite good I'm told.  

How are you spending your January?  Perusing catalogs, placing orders for seeds?  I'm going to check out Greenland Garden Centre for their indoor garden display which should be completed by now.  I've been going there for years just to see their garden.  It's done on a grand scale and it certainly helps to be around plants when the world around you sleeps in a winter induced slumber.

Did you know now is the perfect time to get out in your garden to do some pruning?  Late winter is ideal for this sometimes dreaded chore because the trees are dormant and you can see the structure without the leafy canopy blurring the tree's form.  

How many of you fear pruning?  Are you afraid you'll kill the tree or prevent it from bearing fruit?  Well, you're not alone but thankfully Laura from Garden Answer has created a short video that breaks it down into easy to understand steps that will leave you confident and your trees healthy.  Laura's brief tutorial focuses on fruit trees.  Did you know apples bear fruit on old wood and plums and cherries bear fruit on new wood?  Garden Answer has the info.  Let me know if it helps.

Life Springs Eternal

I love March.  Spring is coming and so is my birthday (rats!).  Towards the end of the month early tulips, snowdrops and crocuses will be coming up. For the green thumbs out there dying to do some gardening, there are a few things you can get a headstart on.   If you have an apple tree, March is the time to prune it.  It is imperative that this is completed before the tree starts leafing out, notwithstanding the occasional need to remove a broken branch, suckers and such but the formative pruning needs to be done in early spring before the sap begins to run and the tree forms its flowers.  Remember to never prune more than a third of the overall growth of a tree each year, to do so could seriously set back your tree.  Remove crossing branches, diseased growth, overcrowded branching in the centre of the tree.  I found an excellent site with detailed information and diagrams illustrating the correct method for pruning a young apple tree and a mature tree.  Follow this link: http://www.weekendgardener.net/how-to/prune-apple-trees.htm.  You may train it to grow with a central lead or eliminate a central lead for a rounded canopy which is the most popular style, especially in orchards.

You may continue to plant indoors some of your vegetables and annual flowers   I like to use peat pots and pellets for seeding.  Place these in a tray with a clear plastic dome lid (available at your local greenhouse), plant the seed and water.  Watch carefully over the next few weeks for signs of damping off.   Fungi such as Phtophtora and Pythium cause this condition. Living at the soil line where air meets the moist soil surface, these fungi take advantage of overwatering and attack your seedlings.  To avoid this problem, allow the surface of the soil to dry out between waterings.  Should your soiless mix remain moist for an extended period you may prevent problems with damping off by sprinkling an anti-fungal agent such as Damp-Off on the seedlings and soil or use ground cinnamon.  It is a natural fungicide.


If you see blackened constricted stems with collapse of the stem, you will likely have to discard those plants and take measures to protect the rest.  If you see a grayish mold on the stems of the seedlings, you will have to discard these as well.  It too can be caused by an overly wet medium and high humidity.  The key to growing healthy seedlings is to keep in a bright location, under grow lights if you have them, and water when the soiless mix is dry to the touch.  Don't allow the area to be exposed to drafts.

Follow the instructions on the seed packet for seeding times.  Start seeds requiring dark to germinate in an appropriately dark place and those needing light to germinate in good light. 

Some plants to start now:

marigolds, sunflowers, verbena, matthiola (night-scented stock), cabbage, herbs.

Gardening Calendar 

 March:

Prune apple trees
Continue sowing seeds based on plant and area specific information provided on seed packages
Wash leaves of houseplants
Transplant rootbound houseplants