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The Online Magazine FOR and ABOUT Southside Virginia

1/20/2021

Southside Gardener

February Tips for the Gardener

 Contributed By William H. McCaleb

 Master Gardener Coordinator
 Virginia Cooperative Extension

   Now is a good time for pruning many of our landscape trees and shrubs. Look for damaged branches on your trees and shrubs. Prune out any dead, dying or diseased branches on any of your deciduous plants. There are some exceptions, such as forsythia, rhododendron, and azaleas, which you do not want to prune until after they have completed blooming and have dropped those blooms.

   You have probably been musing through seed catalogues since the beginning of the year. Hopefully you’ve made some fine choices and are about ready to order or know what you want to purchase locally. It won’t be long before it will be time for onion sets to be planted, along with potatoes, carrots and radishes. In another two weeks it should be warm enough to consider putting out your cool weather annual transplants like pansies, snapdragons, English daises, sweet Williams and calendula. These plants like cool temperatures and pansies do particularly well in temperatures ranging from 40°- 60°during the day. They will produce their best flower show in the spring, and then fade during hot summer weather. Pansies are an excellent choice for low borders and planter/window boxes. Pansies do need full sunlight for best results, although they can tolerate partial shade as well. The more shade you have, the fewer blooms that you will see. Do not plant pansies in the same spot for more than three years at a time or you will risk fungal problems in the root zone. If Mother Nature doesn’t provide at least 1” of moisture each week for your plants, make sure you make up the difference with your watering can or hose.

   If it has been over three-four years since you have had a soil test done, you should give serious consideration to doing it now. This will supply the homeowner with information to make wise environmentally friendly fertilizer and lime purchases.

   Whether you are a farmer, or just a backyard gardener and you are interested in learning about some of the latest varieties of disease resistant garden seed and seedlings available in our area, call the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office (434-476-2147) and register for the “Best of the Best” public educational program we have scheduled on February 23rd at the Halifax Ag Development Center.

   If you have questions about your landscape plants, you can also call the Extension Office and ask to speak to a Master Gardener or the Horticulture Technician.

_____________________

William H. McCaleb
Program Assistant, ANR
Master Gardener Coordinator
Virginia Cooperative Extension
171 S. Main Street
P.O. Box 757
Halifax, VA 24558-0757
434-476-2147
fax: 434-476-7777
http://www.ext.vt.edu