Landscape

        • Fertilize lawns with a “winterizer” formula this month, eight weeks after the last fall application.

        • Spread 4 inches of mulch beneath trees and shrubs to prevent alternate freezing and thawing of the soil.

        • Protect tree trunks from rodents with wire mesh tree guards.

        • Watch for scale insects on evergreen trees and shrubs. Control with a dormant-oil spray used according to label directions.

        Flowers

        • Replace the faded annuals in your containers with evergreen boughs, hardy ivy, small conifers or even fruits and vegetables.

        • Check the labels on plants and replace any that are faded or missing now — while you still remember the variety or name of the plant.

        • Cut back faded hardy chrysanthemums to 3 inches and mulch for the winter.

        Fruit

        • Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of rotted manure to raspberry bushes.

        • Remove the canes on raspberries and blackberries that bore fruit last summer. Leave the new growth to produce next summer's fruit.

        • Mulch strawberry plants with straw, shredded leaves or chopped cornstalks. Uncover them as soon as new growth begins in spring.

        • Wrap the trunks of young fruit trees with wire or plastic tree guards to keep rodents from feeding on the bark.

        Vegetables

        • Cut back the tops of asparagus after it has been nipped back by freezing weather.

        • Make sure popcorn is dry enough before storing, then store in a tightly sealed container. A test kernel should start popping within 90 seconds at the correct moisture level.

        Eco tip

Remember to feed the birds this season, and throughout the winter. Learn the feeding habits of the birds you wish to attract. For example, cardinals like a wide, flat feeding tray with peanuts, sunflowers and safflower.

        Contact Sue Trusty by e-mail: strusty@civicgardencenter.org; phone: 221-8733.

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