I think Southwest Washington gardeners know the secret to staying happy through the winter months. Get out in the garden. Even if all you do is step outside, breathe the air and catch the occasional glimpse of sunlight through the clouds, you will feel a definite mental and physical lift. I have often wondered if this feeling is the exact reason that we garden.
Whatever garden work you do in the midst of winter, it will relieve you of one more job in early spring. Many winter tasks involve cleaning up the garden in some way. Spring cleaning is like a power wash, spraying everything down from head to toe. Winter is more about tidying one room at a time, attending to detail. Clear debris from winter weary flower beds and prune out tangled or damaged branches in shrubs and trees.
In winter, you will see garden details that were concealed during the growing season. Cut back rambling honeysuckle vines and replace the trellis or support post that holds it up if it is not doing its job. If need be, reset vine supports in concrete. Use a cleaning solution to wash the sides of your house before they are hidden behind new plant growth in spring. Clean out debris that has accumulated in the spaces between decking. Use any tool that will fit between the boards without cutting into deck wood.
Rest, recuperation
Our lawns go through a period of rest and recuperation in winter.
If you used an organic fertilizer in late fall, the slow release of nutrients is enough to sustain your grass through the winter months until spring growth begins. When you use an organic product on your lawn, you are actually enriching the soil, which is the key to healthy plants of any kind.
Avoid walking on the lawn as much as possible during winter months, especially if frozen or veiled in frost.
Never prune spring flowering shrubs this late in the season. You will remove all of the coming year’s flowers if you do so.
You can, however, cut back summer flowering shrubs, especially those that have not performed well in the past few years. Pruning now encourages vigorous spring growth and coaxes stems to make new shoots and flower buds.
If you are not sure when your plants bloom, wait to prune. Bring in an expert or knowledgeable friend to help you learn which plants you have in your garden.
Lilac, hydrangea and other tall, multi-stemmed shrubs that have grown too dense will benefit by cutting back about one-third of the shoots to within a few inches of the ground for two or three years in succession.
If you cut back all branches, you will remove all of next year’s flowers.
I personally recommend a yearly habit of pruning out one third of the oldest shoots. This way you keep the shrub to a manageable size from year to year.
There will always be some older, flowering stems, as well as new growth for plant vigor.
Remove diseased, damaged branches
For shrubby plants that produce a thicket of stems, make a habit of trimming all stems and branches back to the desired height after the plant finishes flowering.
Trim heaths and heathers after flowering by cutting back all spent flower clusters. Anytime you are pruning plants, you should also remove any weak, diseased, damaged or poorly situated branches for an open shape.
For light pruning, you can wait until the end of winter. If a plant needs radical pruning, do it as early in midwinter as possible.
Now is also a good time to beat the rush and have your mower and power tools serviced.
Say a prayer of thanks if you have someone in the house that can service them for you or if you can do it yourself. Whatever your method, at some point in winter you need to clean, oil and overhaul your lawn mower. Empty and dry gasoline tanks once a year to avoid corrosion. Every power implement comes with an information packet. Follow the instructions for use and maintenance to make sure your garden tools operate at peak performance.
Anything that you have to do every year in the garden is worth learning to do yourself. Call the Master Gardeners office for information on any garden topic.
Sign up for a pruning class or have a knowledgeable friend or neighbor walk you through the process. Take advantage of the slow winter pace and do just one garden chore at a time, well. I’m adding that concept to my list of New Year resolutions.
Robb Rosser is a WSU-certified Master Gardener. Reach him at Write2Robb@aol.com.
