January 2025 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends,  Happy New Year!! Let’s hope the New Year brings you good health, happiness, peace and a successful gardening season.   If you live in the south towns you’ve had a good protective snow cover for the last month, north, not so much. We can’t predict what the rest of the winter will bring so need to protect our garden plants from temperature fluctuations over the winter.   Anything newly planted this past late summer or fall and shallow rooted perennials will need protection from temperature fluctuations which causes heaving of plants.  Some types of winter mulch will do the trick. Pine boughs make an easy mulch. When people discard their Christmas trees, lower branches can be pruned off and placed over plants covering the crowns and root zones. These boughs are easily removed in the spring and discarded. If you have snow cover now keep the boughs for when it melts. If there is just a little snow you can put the boughs right over the snow where the plant is. Leaves are nature’s mulch. If you don’t have any leaves now, remember to leave them in your garden beds next fall or save some up for use as mulch. If leaves or boughs aren’t an option, you can use straw. One bale of straw will cover quite a number of plants.   There has been a lot of wind so picking up fallen branches is a good winter job. The soil is soft so be mindful of walking on the soft ground especially in garden beds.   January is when we start getting all those gardening catalogues and dream of the spring to come. Catalogues can be very informative about plant types and their growing conditions. Pay close attention and don’t order a plant because it looks beautiful in the catalogue. Carefully match the plant’s growing conditions to those that exist in your garden including final size.   Also, if you’re looking for native plants, pay careful attention to the botanical names. Plants with an English name attached to the Latin, are usually cultivars. Many popular plants like Echinacea purpura (coneflower) have been modified for color, size and even shape of petals. If you’re planting natives to support nature the straight species is always best. Many cultivars are sterile which means they don’t make pollen, nectar, or seed. Basically, they may look pretty but don’t feed nature.   January is a good time to pamper your houseplants. Check them carefully for any pests like mealy bugs, whitefly and scale. If they are portable take them to the sink or bathtub for a clean off shower. Dust accumulates on the leaves, so you must provide a “rain” to clean them off. If a plant is too large to move wipe off the leaves with a damp soft cloth. Houseplants are resting this time of year so it’s best not to feed or repot them.   If you’re interested in improving your gardening, you will want to attend one or both of the upcomming Master Gardener events listed below.   Spring Bloom Classes:   The 20th Annual Community in Bloom Classes: There will be two different topics each day. Cost is $25 per day. Registration is required. To register go to: erie.cce.cornell.edu/events or contact [email protected] or (716) 652-5400 ext176. Time: 9:00 - 11:45 AM. Registration starts at 8:30 AM.   Saturday, February 8 Aurora Senior Center,101 King Street, East Aurora 14052 9:00 – 10:15 am          ‘Building a Climate Resilient Garden’ As our climate changes, gardeners can look to increasing biodiversity, selecting the “right plant for the right place”.                                     10:30 – 11:45 am        ‘Critter Management’ Strategies to deal with hungry critters who think your yard is a buffet and some plants they typically avoid.                                      Saturday, February 22 Location TBD 9:00- 10:15 am            ‘A New Invasive Pest: Box Tree Moth’ Management of the box tree moth requires a combination of cultural, biological, and chemical control methods in an Integrated Pest Management plan.    10:30 – 11:45 am        ‘Plant Propagation Methods’ Techniques covered: leaf, stem and softwood cuttings, layering, and division as methods of expanding your collection of indoor and outdoor plant varieties                                                 MG Education Day:   This year MGED is Saturday March 8, 2025 at Classics V Banquet Center on Niagara Falls Blvd. The day runs from 9:00 – 3:00 including a hot lunch buffet. Cost: $60. Those of you who have attended in the past know what a fun and educational day this is. We have 2 outstanding presenters:   Kim Eierman - environmental horticulturist and landscape designer specializing in ecological landscapes. She is also the author of numerous books. She will give two presenttions: Keynote: Beyond Sustainability:  Using Our Landscapes as a Source of Environmental Change Creating a Succession of Bloom in the Native Garden Margaret Lapp - Director of Planning & Curation - Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. She is also a Landscaper and certified Arborist. Her topic will be:  Purposeful Plant Selection for Sustainable Garden Design   Trust me, you won’t want to miss this amazing and fun day. To register go to: erie.cce.cornell.edu/events or contact [email protected] or (716) 652-5400 ext176. Happy gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 [email protected] 716- 652-2432   Copyright © 2025 Lessons from Nature, All rights reserved. You're receiving this message because you requested to receive Lessons from Nature newsletters. Our mailing address is: Lessons from Nature 37 N Union Rd Williamsville, NY 14221 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.