Planning, Propagation and other Seasonal Activities

Despite merciless media reminders, forget for the moment global warming. In our northern climes winter is here with a vengeance. Time to get togged up, venture out into the garden and knock the last heavy snowfall off the evergreens before it bends them out of shape.

Don’t forget to keep the bird feeder topped up for our feathered chums. They’ll pay us back come next season by pouncing on pests and weed seeds. Remind the postie to please not shortcut across the lawn, stamping down the snow and smothering the turf below. Then again, if Canada Post threats pan out, five years max, no more home delivery. My, how you’ll miss those flyers. Many an experienced gardener though regards this as the best of all seasons. Come inside, put on the slippers, sit back with a pile of old-fashioned catalogs and books and contemplate next season’s horticultural happenings. The winds may howl, blizzards rage, the dog demanding draining but your thoughts will be up in the great green yonder planning for a more verdant future . . .

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Diversion No. 1

A team of American and Israeli researchers has discovered what is being claimed as the world’s largest and oldest wine cellar in a Canaanite palace ruins near the modern city of Nahariya in northern Israel. Researchers found 40 ceramic jars, each big enough to hold about 13 gallons, in a single room. Analysis of residues found signs of a blend of ingredients that may have included honey, mint, cedar, tree resin and cinnamon bark. These are said to show sophistication – today we would label it adulteration.

Pottering around houseplants over the winter months is the perfect way to ignore th inclement weather outside. But easy does it. Large plants especially can go for surprising lengths of time without requiring watering. Indeed, overwatering is the numero uno cause of plant demise. Another good way to hasten decline is to cold water, which leads to similar root rot. And unless the plant is in bloom, nix to fertilizer until light conditions improve in March. A dry atmosphere is not only bad for human health – it encourages many plant pests. Hibiscus, fuchsia and bougainvillea all seem especially prone to attack by whiteflies and aphids while palms and ivies become covered by fine webs, a sure sign of mite attack. A monthly spray of insecticidal soap will discourage these little varmints.

Diversion No. 2

According to English folklore, 13th January, St Hilary’s Day, is the coldest day of the year. The saint was a 4th century bishop of Poitiers in Gaul. He was said to have been born of prominent pagan parents and himself happily married. ‘Hilary’ derives from the Latin for happy or cheerful.

Rooting cuttings, yes; most seeding sowing, no. If you’ve saved geraniums, impatiens, begonias, hibiscus and fuchsias, to name but a few tender tropical perennials, from last season, take stem cuttings this month. Use 4-inch clay or plastic pots with a light soil mix or horticultural grade vermiculite. Dipping the damp base of stems into hormone rooting powder will increase rooting. Place in a bright window but not direct sunlight. With perhaps the exception of impatiens and begonia seeds it is too early to sow. Wait until March for other annual, vegetable and herb seeds but purchase all this month as soon as they arrive in stores; delay until later and the best will have been purchased. Dahlia tubers, saved or purchased, may be increased by rooting the shoots. Pot up into 6-inch pots this month and use the resulting sprouts as cuttings. The “mother” tubers will still be good for planting out in late May. Save money on labels for all these pots of plants by cutting up empty bleach bottles – first washed clean – into labels then using a soft-lead pencil or an indelible pen to record the plant name.

Diversion No. 3

A pilot was forced to make a hasty landing after colliding with a cow at a rural airstrip in New Zealand. A top-dressing plane hit a cow during takeoff from an airstrip in Pahiatua, either damaging or losing one of its wheels, reported The Herald on Sunday

The Chinese or Lunar New Year commences 31 January when we enter the Year of the Horse. Time to wish friends Kung Hei Fat Choi! Happy New Year! Sandwiched between the years of the Snake and Goat, the Horse is believed to be energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able, good at communicating. However, people born under this sign may be impatient, hot blooded and, on occasion, bad tempered. They are also believed to be flamboyant, wasteful, and poor in money matters. Especially appreciated as always for the New Year are tangerines with their leaves still on them, a sign family and friends will remain together. Other orange-hued fruit are also valued as symbols of happiness, including oranges themselves, clementines and kumquats. Display them on trays surrounded by yellow flowers, the same as dried or candied fruit. And for this Year of the Horse add lucky 2, 3 or 7 calla lilies (or jasmine and marigolds, if you can find them), avoiding at all costs 1, 5 and 6. While brown, yellow and purple are lucky, gives a miss on blue, white and gold.

Diversion No. 4

Mosquitoes south of Brisbane are enjoying the finer things in life, preferring to breed in affluent suburbs and not lower socio-economic areas, according to The Courier-Mail in Australia The marvels of modern technology continue to amaze. How did we ever do without them? Well, perhaps not all. Every few months some new electronic gardening gizmo is proclaimed a sure-fire device to solve black thumb woes. Perhaps Flower Power will find a market. According to Popular Science, it enables users to monitor their houseplants from afar. The battery-powered sensor records light, moisture, temperature and other stats, says the monthly mag. It sends the data to a smartphone, where an app compares the info with the optimum conditions for that species and suggests how to provide care. But if you’re going to have plants, isn’t it time you learnt to look after them yourself? And despite spousal protests, $60 will purchase another good-sized beauty to add to the tropical décor.