Part 1 of 2 - Continues in next issue

Topsail Island, NC - By Mark A. Tamn

For those of us fortunate enough to live in this wonderful region known as the Cape Fear, gardening to varying degrees and for an assortment of reasons, becomes a part of our everyday lives.  Much has been written about our extended growing season and generally mild winter months.  These ideal conditions certainly do offer us a plethora of gardening opportunities in southeastern North Carolina.  But for the astute gardener, the desire to go outdoors and plant, water, divide, rake, compost, feed, spray, dig and prune on a regular basis, has little to do with our weather or geography.  A gardener in the know understands that what you create, you must also maintain, and to maintain a successful landscape, a little planning and some timely chores on a monthly basis will keep your landscape in top form season to season and year to year.

Here is a general gardening diary that you may refer to each month. Creating your own personal diary for maintaining your grounds and plants will insure that you will always remember important maintenance practices.

September

Early this month, watch for oyster shell scale on your Pittosporum.  You can make your own horticulture oil spray by mixing two tablespoons of vegetable oil with two tablespoons of dish detergent in one gallon of water.  Shake well; repeat every week until the scale is under control.  Keep your Camellias well watered during this period. The early blooming Susanqua will require one inch per week!  Fall army worms can be a major problem on Bermuda lawns during early September.  You know that fall is near, as the garden centers are stocking up on winter annuals such as pansies, snapdragons, ornamental cabbage, and kale.  Be patient and wait for cooler temperatures and bigger plant selections.  Do not feed your lawn or plants with high nitrogen after September first.  Forcing new, young tender growth could promote winter damage to unhardened growth.  Reduce irrigation on lawn and plants as the days get shorter and the nights get cooler.  This is ideal fungus disease weather.  Ginger lilies are entering full bloom during this period.  Enjoy the fragrance and cut the flowers for arrangements if weeds such as Poa Annua are a nuisance in your lawn.  Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to the lawn early this month.  Your fruit trees should be bearing some nice fruit at this time. To increase the size, thin out some of the fruit in highly concentrated areas.

October

The cooler air temperatures in conjunction with shorter daylight periods are slowing down the growth of your flowers, plants, and lawns.  This is a great time to have your soil tested in the lawn and landscape beds.  Your encore roses should be out for another “encore,” and if you have a Confederate Rose, some folks are probably driving past your house, wondering just what that magnificent flowering plant could be.  If you intend to plant bulbs, it’s still too early. Although the air is cooler, soil temperature remains too warm from the summer’s heat.  Many varieties of Japanese maples are now turning awesome in color.  Your Nandina, particularly the fire power varieties, are lighting up your landscape with orangey-red color.  You can began purchasing and planting your annual flowers for winter color during this month.  October is a great month to feed your Dogwoods.  Apply a quarter cup of sul-po-mag to increase winter hardiness and hopefully, reduce spot Anthracnose disease next spring.  Refrain from pruning until the plants and trees have gone into a more dormant state.  This is a great time to spot spray young broadleaf weeds in your lawn.  Your Loquat trees will begin fruiting late this month.  Start selecting bulbs to plant, but wait until next month to put them in as the soil temperatures are still too warm in our region.  Enjoy the autumn with the Autumn with Topsail Festival in Topsail Beach.

November

Fall is truly the ideal period for planting and transplanting.  If you are thinking about some new and exciting plants to add to the landscape, or perhaps wish to move plants to a location where they might perform better, this is the time to do so.  Plant material is sometimes discounted at the local nurseries at this time, as nursery owners are trying to lower inventory and winter maintenance.  This is also plant hygiene month. Clean up under the base of your plants to prevent disease spore from harboring, and clean up spent flowers, blooms, and faded out annuals.  The first frost is soon, so gradually adapt any plants that you plan to bring indoors for the winter.  Install your spring flowering bulbs around Thanksgiving.  Your late blooming Camellia Hapaonica may begin to show signs of blooming later this month.  This is a great month to begin horticulture oil sprays on all plants to reduce insects, larvae, and eggs for the next year. Your Nellie Stevens Hollies should be displaying a bumper crop of berries now, and the birds will be ever so thankful.  Cut a few branches toward the end of this month for holiday decorations.  Add a little extra mulch around the base of some cold sensitive plants such as Verbena, Lantana, and Angel Trumpets. Many perennial flowering plants will die back to the ground with the first frost.  Tag the plant so that you where it is planted next year.

December

Some plants are just now coming into bloom.  Your Japonica Camellia is in full bloom, the shade-loving winter Daphne is exhibiting its light pink or white flowers, and the Lenton rose (nice ground cover for shade) is showing its mauve and greenish color flower.  With holidays upon us, you can cut some branches and enjoy the fragrant berries of the wax Myrtle indoors.  Other plants to clip and enjoy for the indoor holiday decoration are Dogwood with their bright red berries, Leyland Cypress, Juniper Branches, and Nandina.  December is also a great time to prune deciduous trees. The bare branches and limbs make it easy to detect decayed or rooted wood, cross branches, and potential hazards to home and human safety.  Take a walk through your semi-dormant gardens during the cool days of winter.  You may discover some inner peace and inspiration to enjoy!  Happy Holidays!

January

The holidays have come and gone. A few chores in the garden now will enhance the beauty of your landscape this spring.  This is an excellent time to prune dead, damaged, or decayed limbs on dormant deciduous trees.  Expand your garden areas by dividing and transplanting your DayLillies, Ginger Lilly, and Liriope.  Be sure to cover the roots of your cold sensitive plants such as Perennial Hibiscus, Lantana, and Verbena. If you have not yet pruned your Crepe Myrtle, a light pruning (flowers form on new wood), will promote more blooms next summer.  Leaves and pine straw that has fallen over the winter can smother your grass and cause thinning or damage.  Give your lawn a light raking.  By running the lawn mower over the lawn, it will mulch the leaves and put some hurt on annual winter weeds.  This is an ideal time to prune the dreaded Pampas grass if you have not already done so.  Spray your small trees, shrubs, and other ornamental plants with dormant oil this month.  If you are having problems with ornamental plants or your lawn, have a soil test preformed this month.  This is an excellent time of the year.

February

This is an excellent month to clean your landscape beds and re-mulch areas that are thin or weed prone.  A two-to-three-inch layer of wood mulch is generally sufficient. Keep the mulch around the base of your plants thin so that moisture can be absorbed by the plant.  Too much mulch may also harbor diseases.  If your warm season lawn is susceptible to crabgrass or other summer weeds, apply a pre-emergent this month.  Your Japonica Camellia should be in full bloom.  Keep your eye out for some blooms on your Lorepetalum during a period of warm sunny days.  To increase flower production on your Oleanders, apply a quarter cup of super phosphate around the base of each plant.  Prune back dead or unwanted canes on your roses this month.  Retain the healthiest three canes on the plant.  Don’t forget your sweetie on Valentine’s Day!

MARK A. TAMN has been in the lawn and landscape industry for over thirty years.  Mark is an agronomist, NC Certified Turf Grass Professional, radio talk show host of “In the Garden,” author of the book, "Olde Time Gardening For New Age Concerns," and President of Freedom Lawns USA and Freedom Franchises, Inc.