Perennials: This is the gardener’s time to read and study. Read gardening books, old and new, for inspiration and gardening history. Plan a new garden, even just a corner where color or texture will be effective. Use branches of Christmas tree as protective mulch on the perennial bed.

Flowers: Organize the seed catalogs as they arrive. Try some heirloom flowers, so popular and interesting now. Read about new varieties offered every year, especially the award winners that introduce new show-stopping colors. Shorter varieties of tall perennials and dwarf varieties of shrubs fill a need in small garden spaces.

Vegetables and fruits: Plan to rotate vegetable crops when planning next year’s vegetable garden. Each vegetable family is susceptible to distinct pests and diseases. Some crops consume more nutrients than others. Try to wait three years before planting the same crop in the same place.

Trees and shrubs: Make sure mulching material is not smothering the flared part of the trunk.

Lawns: Read up on pest control. Timing of applications is critical for effective grub control and will save money, too.

Houseplants: Amaryllis is worth the effort to care for during the year. For now, cut off faded blooms, leave foliage to grow, watering when dry. After the danger of frost, the plant should go outside for the summer. Don’t feel guilty about tossing out the poinsettia, gloxinia or other holiday gift plants when they begin to look bad. Cyclamens like a cool environment, even an unheated porch where the temperature is 50 to 60 degrees.
Susan Henry