The Holidays are here again, and with short days and so much to do,
it’s not easy to focus on what needs to be done in and around your
landscape. That’s particularly true when there’s a cozy fireplace
indoors and it’s cold and windy outdoors!

However, we shouldn’t totally ignore our garden because some things
really can’t wait until spring. Once again, here are a few of my “What
To Do Before Santa Gets Here” tips. Or, if you must, after he’s flown
back to the North Pole.

Take care of your tools

If you’re like most people, your tools are leaning against the wall in
the garage or shed, just where you left them the last time you were
working in the garden. And they probably still have chunks of dried
dirt and dead grass stuck to them. A few minutes invested now will pay
dividends next spring.

Start by cleaning mud and dirt off shovels, forks and trowels. That’s
a minimum, but it’s also a good idea to rub the metal parts with an
oily rag. If you have a can of WD-40 on the shelf, that'll work fine.
If you have any linseed oil, rub it on to the wooden handles to
prevent them drying and cracking.


Remember the mower

Trying to start a lawn mower for the first time in the spring can be a
hassle, particularly if it hasn’t been touched since the fall. If you
haven’t done so already, now’s the time to start up your mower and let
it run until the gas tank is empty.

Clean off the mower blades to remove the clumps of compacted grass,
and if they need sharpening, this could be a good time to call up a
mower service shop and see if they have any winter specials. For a
more comprehensive look at winter tool care, see a previous Plant Man
column archived at my web site. You can find it he
www.landsteward.org/page.cfm/5220


Snow covered limbs

Tree limbs, that is, not yours. Remember that trees and shrubs can be
damaged by the weight of heavy, wet snow. To prevent or minimize
damage, gently shake the branches of delicate trees and shrubs so the
heavy snow falls away. You can also use a broom to brush snow from the
branches. But be gentle as you don’t want to cause trauma to your
tree.


Christmas trees

If you’ve selected a real tree this season, remember the magic word:
Water! A “living” tree needs a thorough watering before you bring it
into the house, and it shouldn't stay indoors much longer than ten
days if you want it to survive outdoors after the Holidays.

A “cut” tree needs water, too. Saw a couple of inches off the cut end
and check the water level once or twice a day. You might be surprised
to know that a cut tree can absorb as much as a gallon of water a day.

As always, the Internet is a superb resource for both professional
landscapers and home gardeners. Here are few winter-related sites you
can browse:-

Titled “Winter gardening: design tips that work,” this is a useful
article published by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden:
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/desig...wi_winter.html

For a comprehensive list of plants that look good all year but add
special interest during winter months, check out this article
published online by Iowa State University:
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortn...996/hiver.html

For a list of books on winter gardening, prepared by the science
reference service of the Library of Congress, go to:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRef...gardening.html

David Beaulieu, the “guide” at landscaping.about.com is always a good
resource and his Web site is loaded with helpful articles. Go to the
site, below, and simply type in “winter” (or any other topic) in the
search window:
http://landscaping.about.com

Expert (and free) help can usually be found at your nearest
Agricultural Extension Service. For your nearest location, go to this
USDA site and click on your state on the map:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension

And as always, I’m happy to help with your garden and landscape
questions, many of which are featured in the column.


The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to and for resources and
additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed
newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:11:53 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

[...]


Take care of your tools

If you’re like most people, your tools are leaning against the wall in
the garage or shed, just where you left them the last time you were
working in the garden. And they probably still have chunks of dried
dirt and dead grass stuck to them. A few minutes invested now will pay
dividends next spring.

Start by cleaning mud and dirt off shovels, forks and trowels. That’s
a minimum, but it’s also a good idea to rub the metal parts with an
oily rag. If you have a can of WD-40 on the shelf, that'll work fine.
If you have any linseed oil, rub it on to the wooden handles to
prevent them drying and cracking.

[...]

Thank YOU for the heads-up! I am guilty of all of the above. Will
take care of tools ASAP.

Just before I returned from a 3-week trip we had two huge storms!
Great for the garden*, and great for parched So. Calif in general.

(Too bad the area does not yet have infrastructure in place to
capture the damn rain instead of letting just run out to sea!!!
My buckets on front porch are overflowing; wish I'd thought to
set out trash cans instead.)

Reason I mention the storms: Hedge trimmers and big clippers
accidentally left out; blades rusted. I've been immersing rusted
pruners, etc. in vinegar and then cleaning off and oiling.

*** Anybody have better suggestion?

* Everything looks in good shape. Snow peas climbing up trellis.
First batch of radishes about used up; time to replant. Baby
spinach for dinner last night...yum. Bok choy needs thinning.
Beets doing OK, but need thinning. (I am always chicken about
thinning, though I know it's counterproductive to be anthropopathic
about plants.) Couple of big tomatoes slowly ripening. Some weird
cherry tomatoes still hanging on; never get red. Brussels
sprouts doing OK, but full of holes. Strewed some snailbait;
hope it works. Same for mesclum, which is leaping out of the
ground; will soon need to be pulled & replaced. Carrots going
gangbusters; same with green onions.

Hi,

thank you for the great tips and "reminders". I have to admit that I am also quilty of most of the above... Even though I cannot consider myself being a big gardener (my wife does most of the planning, working and commanding...) I still enjoy the beauty of a well maintained garden.
Some of the things mentioned have actually been carried out by a gardener we found over the internet (not all of it, but we can take care of the rest, I guess...). Let me share our experience with you, as it really paid off:
As mentioned we needed someone to some gardening work and found a website called www.egenie.co.uk where you can post your job and professionals send you estimates. Worked out just finde, the next weekend the guy showed up and did all (and a little more than) we asked him. The garden looks great right now and we will call the same guy again in spring.
But now I guess I have to take care of those dirty tools, and yes, the WD40 is sitting on the shelf!

In article ,
BeyerT wrote:

;825679 Wrote:
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:11:53 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

[...]
-

Take care of your tools

If you’re like most people, your tools are leaning against the wall in
the garage or shed, just where you left them the last time you were
working in the garden. And they probably still have chunks of dried
dirt and dead grass stuck to them. A few minutes invested now will pay
dividends next spring.

Start by cleaning mud and dirt off shovels, forks and trowels. That’s
a minimum, but it’s also a good idea to rub the metal parts with an
oily rag. If you have a can of WD-40 on the shelf, that'll work fine.
If you have any linseed oil, rub it on to the wooden handles to
prevent them drying and cracking.-

[...]

Thank YOU for the heads-up! I am guilty of all of the above. Will
take care of tools ASAP.

Just before I returned from a 3-week trip we had two huge storms!
Great for the garden*, and great for parched So. Calif in general.

(Too bad the area does not yet have infrastructure in place to
capture the damn rain instead of letting just run out to sea!!!
My buckets on front porch are overflowing; wish I'd thought to
set out trash cans instead.)

Reason I mention the storms: Hedge trimmers and big clippers
accidentally left out; blades rusted. I've been immersing rusted
pruners, etc. in vinegar and then cleaning off and oiling.

*** Anybody have better suggestion?

* Everything looks in good shape. Snow peas climbing up trellis.
First batch of radishes about used up; time to replant. Baby
spinach for dinner last night...yum. Bok choy needs thinning.
Beets doing OK, but need thinning. (I am always chicken about
thinning, though I know it's counterproductive to be anthropopathic
about plants.) Couple of big tomatoes slowly ripening. Some weird
cherry tomatoes still hanging on; never get red. Brussels
sprouts doing OK, but full of holes. Strewed some snailbait;
hope it works. Same for mesclum, which is leaping out of the
ground; will soon need to be pulled & replaced. Carrots going
gangbusters; same with green onions.

Hi,

thank you for the great tips and "reminders". I have to admit that I am
also quilty of most of the above... Even though I cannot consider myself
being a big gardener (my wife does most of the planning, working and
commanding...) I still enjoy the beauty of a well maintained garden.
Some of the things mentioned have actually been carried out by a
gardener we found over the internet (not all of it, but we can take
care of the rest, I guess...). Let me share our experience with you, as
it really paid off:
As mentioned we needed someone to some gardening work and found a
website called www.egenie.co.uk where you can post your job and
professionals send you estimates. Worked out just finde, the next
weekend the guy showed up and did all (and a little more than) we asked
him. The garden looks great right now and we will call the same guy
again in spring.
But now I guess I have to take care of those dirty tools, and yes, the
WD40 is sitting on the shelf!

When I pulled out my nice pruners out for trimming the Christmas tree, I
saw a little rust on the blades. They looked clean just three months ago.

Enjoy Life ... Dan

--
Garden in Zone 5 South East Michigan.

snip

* Everything looks in good shape. Snow peas climbing up trellis.
First batch of radishes about used up; time to replant. Baby
spinach for dinner last night...yum. Bok choy needs thinning.
Beets doing OK, but need thinning. (I am always chicken about
thinning, though I know it's counterproductive to be anthropopathic
about plants.) Couple of big tomatoes slowly ripening. Some weird
cherry tomatoes still hanging on; never get red. Brussels
sprouts doing OK, but full of holes. Strewed some snailbait;
hope it works. Same for mesclum, which is leaping out of the
ground; will soon need to be pulled & replaced. Carrots going
gangbusters; same with green onions.



I found a shovel in the garden, stuck into the mud where I had been digging
for potatoes a month ago. Everything here is mud, mud, mud. Portland is
buried under a foot or so of snow, and all we got was rain.

Maybe I'll bring the tools in, clean them, sharpen, oil, and paint the
handles...change oil in mower and tiller.... My tomatoe trellises are still
outside because it hasn't stopped raining long enough for me to bring them
in. Is just one day without rain too much to ask for?