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January Gardening Tips

Plant

Plant bare root roses, trees and vines. Julia Child, Rainbow Sorbet, Tahitian Sunset, and Wild Blue Yonder are the 2006 All-American Rose Selections.
Now through March look for bare-root fruit trees. For the best varieties in your area check out www.davewilson.com/ For hardy fruit that will grow anywhere in the state, try one of the new paw paws or jujubes.
Plant vegetables like artichokes, asparagus, horseradish and rhubarb.
Plant berries: raspberry, boysenberry, youngberry and loganberry. Try the new variety of southern highbush blueberries which will grow anywhere in the state. "Sharpblue" is the leading and most adaptable variety in low chill areas throughout the world. It will bloom and fruit almost year-round and the bush will be nearly evergreen. The berries are dark blue, about the size of a dime, with excellent flavor and texture.

Feed & Fertilize

Feed cool season grasses like Marathon, bluegrass and ryegrass. Use Marathon All-Season fertilizer for quick greening.
Toward the end of the month, look at applying organic fertilizers to all plants and top dress with worm castings. The nutrients will be available to plants when they need them as temperatures warm up.

Prune/Trim/Clean

Deadhead faded flowers on poppies, primrose and stocks to keep them blooming.
Prune rose bushes. Remember some climbers and many old garden roses bloom on year-old wood and should not be pruned until after blooming.
Fuchsia plants should be cut back now and then pinched back several times as new growth begins.

Miscellaneous

Now is a good time sharpen mower blades and repair garden tools and other equipment.