Pender Pines Garden Center
Winter 2010 Newsletter
Crisp, winter days are ideal for many garden chores. January and February are the ideal times to prune most trees. You can choose any maple, as they are the first to break dormancy in the spring and will bleed sap if not pruned before the first warms days. Crape myrtles should also be pruned now. You should start by trimming off all the old seed heads, while trying to achieve a uniform, umbrella-shaped top. Thin out the branches and remove any that are crossing, leaving the stronger ones well-spaced. Be sure to remove any ground sucker branches that you may find at the base of the tree. This method is more time consuming than lopping the branches off with a chainsaw, but you will have a well-structured tree with beautiful blooms this summer. Roses and fruit trees are also ready now to be pruned.
It’s also time to start thinking about your spring garden. If you plan to start seeds indoors, organize your seeds by the dates that they need to be sown in soil. Be sure to have ample supplies for each planting date and choose a place with as much sunlight as possible for your seedlings.
It’s not too early to apply a slow-release fertilizer to the trees and shrubs in your landscape. If you’re applying a fresh layer of mulch, place your fertilizer down first for the best results.
Winter is also a good time to plan any new garden structures or renovations to existing ones. Perhaps some containers, pottery or a piece of garden art will add a new highlight to your garden.
This is also a time of year for the cleaning and maintenance of all your garden tools. Sharpening shovels, hoes, pruners and floral scissors will make spring garden work easier. Take an inventory and see what tools may be on the market to make your gardening experience more enjoyable.
The days are beginning to lengthen and, with a few warm days, camellias will again begin to bloom. Remove the dead and frozen flowers to improve the appearance of your shrub and help ward of fungal diseases, like petal blight, which shortens the longevity of the blooms.
By late February, we will be able to plant some hardy vegetables and flowers. Pansies and violas will keep us occupied for now, as well as, some very tough perennials. We will continue to have these available if you need additional color or if the wet weather has kept you out of the garden this winter. We also have a complete selection of trees and shrubs in stock and additional flowering trees will be arriving soon. Shipments of new products and pottery will also coming to the garden center this month.
You can now view us on Facebook. Just type in “Pender Pines Garden Center” in the search box located in the upper right-hand corner of your Facebook homepage. Thank you for your patronage and we would like to wish you happy gardening!
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Pender Pines Garden Center
20949 US Highway 17 North
Hampstead, NC 28443
Phone: 910-270-2706
Fax: 910-270-0531
® Copyright Pender Pines
Garden Center 2004-2010
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