Gardening

Add color to brighten your garden and mood

I hope your landscape survived the cold. Don't be too quick removing damaged plant materials. Often the roots survive even if the top growth may look dead. Wait until the end of the month to start pruning. There is always the possibility of more cold weather in February and pruning now may stimulate new growth that will be damaged easily if the temperature drops again.

I've decided to start a major landscape renovation in our front yard, which seems rather uninteresting after almost 13 years. Of course making the decision and getting out there with a shovel are two different things, but I have set aside some time next week to begin. I'm still trying to get my husband excited about the project, hoping he'll grab and shovel, also. I already know what will stay and what will go. There is more "going" than "staying," which means lots of heavy work.

If you're not quite ready to begin a major renovation in your yard, there is still much to do this time of the year. Some chores are accomplished more easily in cool winter weather than when the temperatures rise. If you have been sitting idly around letting your garden take care of itself, now is the time to get busy.

I usually plant my winter and spring flowers this time of the year, but have put that off because of the impending renovation. For those of you with no such renovation plans, add some color. I have come to appreciate the petunia. It blooms prolifically and lasts until May, when it succumbs to the heat and humidity. If you add flowers to a bed, give the bed a good watering and add a light dressing of fertilizer. This will give your newly planted or established flowers a good boost.

The cool weather slowed down the growth of the weeds. Now's the time to attack them with vigor. As the weather warms and our landscape plants begin new growth, so will the weeds. Try not to let them get ahead of you. After weeding, you may want to replace your mulch. Add a good two to three inches. This will help hold down the weeds.

You'll start seeing seeds in the garden centers soon. Choose a few that are new to you. It's an easy and inexpensive addition to your flower garden. Try marigolds, alyssum, zinnia, sweet peas and snapdragons. I've had luck with these in the past and for just a few dollars you can have a bed full of flowers. Prepare the ground properly, keep the seeds moist, add a little fertilizer every few weeks and you'll amaze yourself.

If you read my column on a regular basis you've probably noticed that I mention herbs quite often. I have found the challenging climate of Florida quite agreeable to a wide variety of herbs. Now is a good time to get a plot prepared for herbs, or at least tuck a few here and there in your garden. They also are wonderful when grown in containers. A few that love the cool winter weather and will do well moving into summer are basil, dill, oregano, thyme, chervil and lavender. If you wait until the middle of March, when we are fairly sure all of our cold weather has passed, you can plant just about any herb you'd like. Make a point of not just growing herbs, but using them also. Pinching off leaves to use in your kitchen will improve the growth habit of the herbs and may also improve the taste of your dinners!

Most of my containers are empty now so I will scrub them well and get them ready for planting. The old soil is dumped in the beds around the yard and new soil is purchased to use in the containers. Wash the pots in a solution of water and 10 percent bleach, rinse well, and then fill with fresh soil. Containers filled with a variety of flowers add such color to the yard. I tuck them here and there around the yard.

If it's been a while since rain has fallen at your house, check your plants. Although it has been cold, plants still need water. I have been hand watering instead of using the underground irrigation system. Doing so allows me to water only those portions of the yard that require it. My rain barrel is still full from the last rain, so I'm using that water instead of the city system.

Florida landscapes tend to be a little drab this time of the year. This drabness may carry over to our mood. Perhaps adding a little winter color can also brighten up our mood. Just by renewing your mulch, color is added and the great smell of mulch is refreshing. So add a little punch to your attitude and your landscape.