IN THE GARDEN

By Doreen Trudel

Hopefully you have enjoyed your winter’s rest dreaming about plants, planning new beds and ordering seeds but now it is time to get back into the garden. Colorful winter flowering bulbs, perennials and shrubs brighten even the darkest February day.

My winter favorites are the plants with scented blooms including Viburnam tinus and Viburnam x bodnantense with their clusters of tiny white or pink flowers and spicy scent. Sarcococca hookerana (sweet box), Hamamelis mollis (Chinese witch hazel) and Chimonanthus praecox (wintersweet) are all lovely scented shrubs. Some Crocus, Narcissus, Primula and Iris varieties are scented too. A walk in a winter garden offers subtle but satisfying rewards.

I have received a number of seasonal questions this month. Most of the questions have been about Camellias and Hydrangeas.

Camellias are coming into bloom so I’ll discuss them first.

This is a good time to buy and plant Camellias because you can see the blooms on the plant rather than rely on a photograph on the tag which is not always correct. This is also a good time to transplant Camellias. Even large established bushes can be heavily pruned and successfully moved.

If you have time to plan ahead you can root prune about three months prior to transplanting. This makes a smaller root ball to move and also allows the mature shrub time to prepare for the loss of root material during the move. To root prune any large shrub before transplanting simply cut straight down into the soil with a flat spade all around the plant within the drip line.

Camellias can be hard pruned for shape, size, air circulation and rejuvenation. This is usually done after blooming in early spring. Established plants can also be fed with compost, manure or a slow release organic fertilizer in spring.

Hydrangea pruning is a complicated subject because there is no single agreed upon method for pruning these spectacular shrubs. In order to develop your own pruning schedule it helps to understand where and when a Hydrangea bud is set. Generally the flower buds of the most common Hydrangeas grow on old wood meaning on the stems of the previous year. Most flower buds are seen on the terminal ends or tips of the stems but if the terminal bud is damaged then flower buds have the potential of developing lower down the stem.

Here is where the controversy arises. One group of growers feels that the old spent inflorescences (flowers) should be removed immediately after blooming to encourage the development of next year’s terminal bud. The size of the shrub can be slightly controlled at this time by pruning down the stem just above a pair of healthy buds. Hydrangeas are susceptible to frost damage so with this method opponents claim the flower buds are left unprotected from the cold and snow.

The second and equally popular pruning strategy is to leave the spent inflorescences on the shrub as protection from frost and prune lower down the stems just above two buds in January or February. Growers will often remove fifty percent of the stem during this winter pruning as they feel this shapes a more compact structure.

No matter which pruning plan you use it is always wise to prune out completely the oldest woody stems in an established Hydrangea thus encouraging new stems to develop from the crown. A good rule of thumb when pruning out old wood on any shrub or tree is to only remove one third of the stems or branches per year. One final thought about feeding Hydrangeas. They like a top dressing of compost or well-rotted manure now and if chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves) has been a problem you could add a dose of iron supplement which is available at most garden centers.

I have discussed the techniques of rose pruning in earlier columns but the question of timing continues to arise. When we moved to Vancouver I was told to prune roses when the Forsythia blooms. For newcomers to this area, Forsythia is the large shrub with arching branches covered in spectacular yellow flowers in late winter. It is one of my favorite shrubs so if you are in doubt of which yellow shrub is Forsythia drive by my house and you will see a number of blooming Forsythia.

I have a question for you. Does anyone reading this column know where to get either seeds or seedlings of a Point Roberts grown tomato which I think is called Yellow Peach tomato? This tomato was the topic of discussion at the last meeting of the Point Roberts Garden Club and apparently this delicious variety has a great number of fans.

The next meeting of the garden club is Thursday, February 14 at 7 p.m. at the community center on Gulf Road. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show will be held February 20 – 24 at the Washington Convention Center in Seattle. It is large and fun and worth the drive.

February Garden Tasks
• Spray dormant oil on deciduous trees
• Plant bare-root roses and trees
• Prune group three summer blooming Clematis
• Spread compost, manure and mulch
• Sow herb seeds indoors
• Trim winter-flowering heather after blooming
• Hard prune Caryopteris
• Prune and feed cane and bush fruit plants