Hillermann's Top Tips for January

1. If you didn’t get your fall bulbs planted before the ground froze, plant them immediately in individual peat pots placed in flats. Set them outside where it is cold and bury the bulbs under a thick blanket of leaves. Transplant them into the garden as soon as weather permits.

2. Sow Parsley seeds indoors at the end of the month.

3. Wash the dust off of houseplant leaves on a regular basis. This allows the leaves to gather light more efficiently which will result in better growth (especially since there is less light available this time of year).

4. Set pots of humid loving houseplants on trays filled with pebbles and water. The pots should sit on the pebbles, not in the water. This is great for Orchids and Ferns.

5. Organic based permethrin sprays can be safely applied to most houseplants for the control of many insect pests. Fluffy, white mealy bugs on houseplants are easily killed by touching them with a cotton swab soaked in rubbing alcohol.

6. Store wood ashes in sealed, fireproof containers. You can apply a dusting around Lilacs, Baby’s Breath, Asters, Lilies and Roses in spring. Do not apply to acid loving plants. Excess ashes may be composted.

7. Christmas tree boughs can be used to mulch garden perennials. They also make great cover for wildlife during the winter months.

8. Thoroughly water all trees, shrubs, and evergreens just before the ground freezes to protect the roots from frost damage (especially evergreens). This may need to be done again if the temperature warms up and there is no snow to help insulate the ground.

9. January is a great time to start planning your next landscape project. Research plants that you may want to put in your landscape along with quantities and prices of other materials that you may need to complete the project. Now is also a good time to beat the spring rush if you need help from our landscape designers.

10. Sharpen your garden tools including shovels, hoes and especially pruners, and coat them with oil.

11. Hang cakes of suet in trees to attract insect hunting woodpeckers to your garden.

12. Provide water sources (with birdbath heaters and heated birdbaths available at Hillermann‘s) and well stocked feeding stations for birds.