The rain provides for good planting

The Garden Fanatic

“Nowadays, people know the price of everything and the value of

nothing.”

-- OSCAR WILDE

“A bargain is in its very essence a hostile transaction ... .”

-- LORD BYRON

Although I freely dispense advice weekly in this column, I also

have the pleasure to visit gardens and dispense advice (although not

for free!). As a businessman, I hope that gardeners will support

local nurseries. As a pragmatist, I am aware that many shoppers are

influenced by cost and believe that bigger will offer a better price.

I don’t believe that is necessarily true.

During a visit with a new client, I was asked to design a garden

using the plant material purchased at a new warehouse outlet. The

plants were attractive and priced competitively -- the major

influences in the purchase. There was only one problem: Few of the

plants were appropriate for use in Laguna.

The showers of this past week appear to signal that we are past

the relatively dry period and returning to a more normal period of

rainy weather. This is the prime time to plant bare root roses. Moist

soil and our warm winters will have those roses blooming by early

March. Your favorite nursery is offering their largest selection and

best values of the year.

We have until the end of February to plant bare roots and prune

our existing roses. Generally, I don’t recommend removing more than

one-third of a rose. And I suggest that you just strip the leaves off

existing climbing roses. Otherwise, you will be pruning this season’s

flowers.

Pruning ... seal cuts when they are larger than 1/2-inch in

diameter on roses and other deciduous plants. Pruning paint is a

convenient way to keep diseases from entering pruning cuts (think of

it as a bandage). Dormant sprays should be applied after pruning,

prior to the appearance of new leaves.

This is also a great time to plant lawns, either to fix a small

spot or an entire plot (believe the Marathon grass commercial, it’s

true). It is important to prepare the soil properly first, add

redwood compost, gypsite and preplant fertilizer. Cool season grasses

like Marathon, other tall fescues and bluegrass will benefit from

fertilization during the winter.

Pest alert ... Catharine tells me that aphids are already

appearing on her new, red foliage of roses because of the

unseasonably warm weather. Use water and Ultra Fine Oil to wash them

off. Snails and slugs are active particularly after a rain shower.

That’s It snail granules will provide excellent control without

endangering your pets.

Winter color ... this is my favorite time for color. I love

pansies, snapdragons, stock, the primroses and particularly Iceland

poppies. Once again, prepare the soil properly to ensure success. Try

cocoa mulch to keep snails and the neighbor’s cats off your flowers.

As a bonus, it smells just like chocolate malt!

See you next time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is the owner of Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,

1540 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.