Wild Pacific Trail, Tofino, BC. Photo by Amanda Jarrett
January Gardening
New: The International Rose Test Garden in Portland
January Introduction - January Plant Combo - Amanda's Garden Blog - January Garden Chores
January Garden Stars - Plant Police
Houseplants 101 - Winter Pruning - Pruning Grapes
January Arrangement - Need Help? - For the Tropical Gardener - Plant of the Month: Himalayan Sweet Box
January Introduction - January Plant Combo - Amanda's Garden Blog - January Garden Chores
January Garden Stars - Plant Police
Houseplants 101 - Winter Pruning - Pruning Grapes
January Arrangement - Need Help? - For the Tropical Gardener - Plant of the Month: Himalayan Sweet Box
Garden SEMINARS At Lee Valley Tools, Vancouver
Pruning Trees & Shrubs
- Thursday, January 31, 12:30 to 3:30
- Learn how to prune trees and shrubs properly at this informative seminar. Seating is limited. Fee $45.00. For more info click here. Please register early to avoid disappointment. To purchase tickets call 604-261-2262
- Friday, February 1, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Learn how to make gardening easier and more efficient with professional tips and tricks. Seating is limited. Fee: $30.00. For more info click here. Please register early to avoid disappointment. To purchase tickets call 604-261-2262
- Saturday, February 16, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Say good bye to lawn grubs and grow a healthy lawn by using effective techniques and proper lawn maintenance. Seating is limited. Fee: $25.00. For more info click here. Please register early to avoid disappointment. To purchase tickets call 604-261-2262
- Saturday, February 16, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Are you selling your house or are you not happy with how the house and garden looks? Learn how to improve its appearance without breaking the bank. Seating is limited. Fee: $30.00. For more info click here. Please register early to avoid disappointment. To purchase tickets call 604-261-2262
- Saturday, March 16, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Amanda will guide you through the spring garden chores such as seed starting, cleaning up beds, fertilizers, soil health, making new beds and lots more. Seating is limited. Fee $30.00. For more info click here. Please register early to avoid disappointment. To purchase tickets call 604-261-2262
- Saturday, March 16, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Learn design principles, plant selection, creating a garden plan, how to make garden rooms and much more. Seating is limited. Fee: $45.00. For more info click here. Please register early to avoid disappointment. To purchase tickets call 604-261-2262
- Thursday April 25,12:00 p.m. to 4:00
- Discover techniques for pest management, fertilizing, composting and watering, all without chemicals. Seating is limited. Fee: $40.00. For more info click here. Please register early to avoid disappointment. To purchase tickets call 604-261-2262
Prune your Garden with Amanda
Amanda will takes the guesswork out of pruning your garden when shows you how. Take the fear and uncertainty out of pruning and gain confidence. Your plants will thank you. For more information and to register click here.
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January Garden Stars
January PLANT COMBOA fragrant combination in Bear Creek Park, Surrey, B.C looks good all year long, even in the depths of winter. All are broadleaf evergreens except for the Chinese witch hazel, the vase shaped plant with yellow flowers on the right. The ground cover is Himalayan sweet box. To the left is fragrant olive, and behind it is lily-of-the-valley shrub.
plant policeThis tree, identity unknown, was topped. It is obvious that the perpetrator of the heinous crime had no idea what they were doing. If this tree's branches were hitting the house, a better idea would have been to remove those offending branches. Cutting all the limbs off a tree results in erroneous growth called suckers.
Suckers look weird compared to regular branches as they grow upright with little or no branches and rarely produce flowers or fruit. This lush and vigorous growth does not come from a tree's core like normal branches; they arise from just under the bark. Because they are not firmly attached to a tree's core, this errant growth is easily torn from the tree making topped trees extremely unsafe. This specimen has been cut back way too far so it's best to dig it up. Before doing so, I think it would be a good idea to confiscate the pruning tools from whomever butchered this poor tree. For more on pruning click here. houseplants 101
Winter Pruning
This is the perfect time to remove errant and unhealthy growth on trees and shrubs. Choose a mild and dry day. Keep in mind that pruning should not be used to decrease a tree’s size, but to improve its health. To restrict growth and lessen suckers, prune in summer.
Before breaking out the pruning gear think about what you want to achieve. Winter pruning promotes lots of new shoots in spring, so it is not a good idea to cut plants back if want to encourage a new growth. If a plant is too big for its britches, remove obnoxious branches or consider removing it. Replace it with something more suitable in early spring or fall. If you are contemplating cutting back all the limbs from a tree because it is too big – please don't. This insidious and heinous act is referred to as ‘topping’. Tall trees have huge root systems that extend far beyond their canopy so don’t worry they will fall down. Nature is too smart for that. Do remove branches if they are in the way of pedestrians or touching the house. Either remove the entire branch or back to a side branch. A properly pruned tree should look as though it wasn't pruned at all - really and truly, honest.
Pruning GrapesPrune back grape plants now, while they are dormant. To train grape plants, prune off the lower branches so the grape vines have one main trunk. From that main stem, keep just a couple of lateral branches, one on each side of the trunk. Tie each of the side branches along a fence, wire or other form of a lateral, horizontal support. Along these lateral branches are other stems. Cut back each of these stems to two to four buds. You'll be left with a scrawny plant when you are finished, but along each one of those stems that you cut back to a few buds, flowers will form, which will develop into grapes. For more on pruning grapes click here.
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January Garden ChoresClick on any green items below to be redirected to a relevant page for more information.
January Arrangement |
Plant of the month
Himalayan Sweet Box, Sarcococca hookeriana
Common Name: Himalayan sweet box
Botanical Name: Sarcococca hookeriana Form: vase Family: Buxaceae Genus: Sarcococca Species: hookeriana Plant Type: broadleaf evergreen Mature Size: 2 to 5 feet x 2 to 6 feet Growth: medium Origin: Himalayas, China Hardiness Zone: 6 to 8 Foliage: 3 1/2" long x to 3/4" wide, deep green, leathery and evergreen with a pointed tip. Flowers: ½ inch long, white tubular fragrant flowers in leaf axils in winter into April. Monoecious, male and female flowers on the same plant. Fruit: red berries that ripen into 1/3 inch shiny black fruit Stems: green Exposure: partial shade to shade Soil: moist Uses: groundcover, woodlands, fragrant gardens, shrub border, low hedge, naturalizing, shady slopes, winter interest, foundation planting, erosion control, dry shade, massing. Propagation: underground runners, semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer Pruning: after flowers to keep plants compact Problems: none Cultivars: Dwarf sweet box, S. hookeriana var. humilis, is low growing and compact, 1-2 feet tall x 2 to 4 feet. Comments: This versatile shade loving broadleaf evergreen shrub looks good all year long. It’s small, white tubular fragrant flowers blossom start flowering in the beginning of the year and into the spring. Their showy, shiny black berries are attractive and linger on the plants. Plants slowly spread through underground suckers, but not considered invasive. Does well in moist soil and benefits from being mulched. Water in extreme heat. |
Need Help?
Need help figuring what to do in your garden? Make an appointment for Amanda to come to your garden to show you how to grow food, sow seeds, prune, design beds etc. Need help trying to figure out how to get the garden ready for spring? Get Amanda to teach you the ropes by making an appointment here.
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Job Postings
For landscapers looking for work and landscape companies looking to hire.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings.
THE GARDEN WEBSITE INDEX
Container Growing 101Monthly Flower Arrangements
Growing Roses Introduction Mulching & Types Introduction |
for the tropical Gardener
While working in Florida as horticultural consultant, it became apparent that there was a need for a book on tropical shrubs. There are so many wonderful shrubs to choose from, so I wrote a reference book to make the selections easier. Ornamental Tropical Shrubs includes pictures in full colour and information about the plants in point form. So if you live in the tropics and subtropics and need a reference book on tropical shrubs, or you just want to have a look-see click here.
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