Gardening Guides
California Gardener’s January Checklist
Here’s what to prune and plant now to spruce up the winter landscape and jump-start your garden for the year
With the holidays behind us, spending time working in the garden can feel like a breath of fresh air. January is a great time to tackle winter pruning of evergreen and deciduous shrubs, fruit trees, vines and roses. On rainy days, dig into tool organization and place orders from plant catalogs for new flower and vegetable varieties to try. Read on to see more garden tasks to do this month.
Not in California? Find your checklist here
Not in California? Find your checklist here
Cut back deciduous vines. While you have the pruning shears out, turn your attention to any deciduous vines, like clematis, wisteria, kiwi and California dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia californica), and cut back for size and shape. For flowering vines, some form blooms on “old wood” (last year’s growth) and others on “new wood” (this year’s growth). This may affect how much you’d like to cut back the vine this year. Wisteria blooms on old wood, for example, so if you cut it back aggressively to control the size (eliminating much of last year’s growth), you may have fewer flowers this spring.
For clematis, blooming on old wood versus new wood depends on the bloom time of the variety. In general, spring-blooming clematis will flower on old wood while summer- and fall-blooming varieties bloom on new wood (this year’s growth). Cutting back a summer- or fall-blooming clematis now will not affect the number of blooms this year, while cutting back a spring-blooming variety will reduce the number of flowers. To maximize flowers on a spring-blooming clematis, wait to cut back until after flowering.
Double Take flowering quince
Plant a flowering quince. Much beloved for being one of the first plants to bloom in spring, flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) can be a show-stopper in landscapes from March to April, when flowers cover the bare branches. Plant a quince now and you’ll be able to take advantage of the blooms this year. Choose a spot that receives full sun to partial shade and has plenty of breathing room — quince often have fairly rangy growth habits, reaching 4 to 6 or more feet wide and 6 to 10 feet tall. Dwarf hybrids are smaller; the species can be kept medium-sized with pruning just after the plant flowers.
Plant a flowering quince. Much beloved for being one of the first plants to bloom in spring, flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) can be a show-stopper in landscapes from March to April, when flowers cover the bare branches. Plant a quince now and you’ll be able to take advantage of the blooms this year. Choose a spot that receives full sun to partial shade and has plenty of breathing room — quince often have fairly rangy growth habits, reaching 4 to 6 or more feet wide and 6 to 10 feet tall. Dwarf hybrids are smaller; the species can be kept medium-sized with pruning just after the plant flowers.
Prune roses. Cutting back roses while they are dormant can promote the health of the plant and spur spring growth and a good production of flowers. Rose pruning is a bit of an art form, and rosarians differ in their style and technique. Short of taking a class, following a few general best practices can be a good place to start.
Some best practices to consider:
- Always cut one-quarter of an inch above a bud eye that faces outward to promote next year’s growth in an outward direction
- Cut at a 45-degree angle with a clean, sharp pruner
- Clip all dead, dying or weak canes (those smaller than a pinkie finger) to their origin, leaving the strongest canes
- Prune to promote an open center and provide better air circulation for the plant, cutting any canes that cross the center of the plant
- Remove all “suckers” — any canes growing beneath the rose graft (looks like a knobby part at the base of plant)
Try California-native Catalina cherry as a hedge. If winter’s bareness has exposed areas that need screening, consider planting Catalina cherry (Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii). With glossy medium-green leaves and white flower racemes in late spring, Catalina cherry looks similar to cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), the commonly-used hedge plant.
This California native takes lower water and is well-adapted to California clay soils and dry summer conditions. Plus, Catalina cherry forms edible black fruits in fall, providing a valuable source of food for native birds.
Learn how to grow more California native plants
This California native takes lower water and is well-adapted to California clay soils and dry summer conditions. Plus, Catalina cherry forms edible black fruits in fall, providing a valuable source of food for native birds.
Learn how to grow more California native plants
Organize tools. Get your garden shed sorted out now so you’ll know just where to find what you need for spring planting. Investing in a wall-mounted rack can be a smart way to save on floor space and place tools, extra hose nozzles, bags of fertilizers and potting supplies in plain sight.
While you’re organizing, take the time to give metal and wood tools like spades and trowels some winter conditioning. Clean off dirt from the blades, dry them completely and rub both blades and wooden handles with linseed oil. Sanitize pruning shears and loppers by wiping with a rag dipped in a diluted bleach solution to prevent diseases from spreading from plant to plant.
While you’re organizing, take the time to give metal and wood tools like spades and trowels some winter conditioning. Clean off dirt from the blades, dry them completely and rub both blades and wooden handles with linseed oil. Sanitize pruning shears and loppers by wiping with a rag dipped in a diluted bleach solution to prevent diseases from spreading from plant to plant.
Set up a rain barrel. We don’t tend to think of water scarcity as much in the winter, when we have wetter weather in California. Planning ahead for the dry summer months now can help reduce your water bill and environmental footprint down the line. Set up a rain barrel to catch and store the water that would otherwise run off to the street, and you’ll be well-stocked with supplemental landscape water in the dry season.
Move living Christmas trees outside. After the holidays, bring potted conifers outside and remove all lights, ornaments and other decorations. Saturate the root ball with water and spray the branches to wash off any dust. Keep the tree in a sheltered, semi-shaded area for about a week (like spots under the eaves or under a canopy of a larger tree) to help ease the transition from the warm indoor environment to the cooler outdoors. After a week, move the tree to an area with full sun and water it regularly.
If you’re planning on planting your potted conifer out in the landscape this year, choose a partial- to full-sun spot in the garden with well-draining soil and where the tree will have plenty of room to grow.
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Planting Time! How to Order From the Garden Catalogs
Not in California? Find your checklist here?
If you’re planning on planting your potted conifer out in the landscape this year, choose a partial- to full-sun spot in the garden with well-draining soil and where the tree will have plenty of room to grow.
More
Planting Time! How to Order From the Garden Catalogs
Not in California? Find your checklist here?
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