Wishing you and yours a very happy and safe New Year!

1. Purchase and plant bare-root roses, trees, vines, berries and vegetables.
2. Choose and plant camellias and azaleas.
3. Purchase cymbidiums.
4. Purchase and plant cool-season flowers to fill in bare spots.
5. Plant seeds of warm-season flowers for transplants to put out in spring.
6. Continue to plant winter vegetables from transplants and seeds.
7. Many succulents, including cacti, bloom in winter and spring; purchase new types now.
8. Prune deciduous fruit trees.
9. Prune roses.
10. Deadhead azaleas.
11. Mow cool-season lawns. Most warm-season lawns are dormant now and don't need mowing.
12. Begin to feed citrus trees in coastal zones.
13. Treat citrus trees for chlorosis.
14. Start feeding epiphyllums for bloom with 0-10-10 or 2-10-10.
15. Continue to fertilize cymbidiums that have not yet bloomed with a high-bloom formula.
16. Feed cool-season flowers.
17. Feed cineraria.
18. Fertilize cool-season lawns.
19. Water plants according to need (when the rains are not adequate).
20. Irrigate citrus trees.
21. Remember to water plants under eaves where the rains cannot reach.
22. Dormant spray roses and deciduous fruit trees.
23. Dormant spray sycamore trees.
24. Check citrus trees for pests.
25. Pick up dead camellia blossoms to prevent petal blight.
26. Protect cymbidiums from slugs and snails.
27. Control rust on cool-season lawns.
28. Check trees, shrubs, and ice plants in coastal zones for overwintering whiteflies. Control by spraying.
29. Pull weeds.
30. Spray peach and apricot trees for peach leaf curl.
31. Protect tender plants from frost.
32. Stake cymbidium bloom spikes.
33. Near the end of the month, check bamboo in coastal zones to see if it is time to propagate.

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African violets are one of America's favorite flowering houseplants. And because they are easy to grow, they are accessible to anyone who wants to add a little bit of blooming joy to their home. Even if you don't have a green thumb, they will reward your efforts with beautiful flowers throughout the year.

Often considered queen of the indoor plants, the African violet was first discovered in Tanzania in 1892. Originally the flowers were limited to shades of blue, white and lavender, but thanks to years of hybridizing efforts many color variations are now available.

African violets also vary in size and form. There are miniature varieties that grow to less than 6" in diameter, standard varieties which average 8-12" in diameter (but can exceed 18-24" when grown for exhibition), and trailing varieties, which can be grown as ground covers or as hanging plants.

Ideally, African violets prefer the natural light of a south facing window but they can grow well with artificial lighting, too. The key is to provide them with 8-12 hours of light per day. For more even growth, it is helpful to rotate the plants a quarter turn each day. They grow best in temperatures between 65ºF and 75ºF, which will help promote quick flowering cycles and better absorption of plant foods.

It is important to allow the soil for African violets to dry out completely between waterings. When watering, try to avoid watering the leaves, as this can leave behind unsightly stains. We recommend feeding them every two weeks, year-round, with a soluble plant food such as Gro-Power All Purpose Liquid Fertilizer. This will keep the foliage a nice shade of dark green and help the flowers produce a more intense color.

African violets are one of the most popular houseplants and very easy to grow. With good bright light and regular feedings, they will bloom joyfully all year long! We invite you to stop by soon and take a few home.

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We're discussing bare-root roses today, which are harvested in late fall and early winter after cool weather encourages dormancy. At H & H, our #1 grade roses have been pruned, fertilized and planted in a biodegradable pulp pot. They are ready for immediate planting.

Roses come in three grades; grade 1 is the best and therefore the most expensive. The requirements for this grade is that the plants must have at least three strong canes, two of which must be at least 18 inches in length for hybrid teas and grandifloras. The canes should be at least 1/8 inch in diameter. Grade 1½ requires at least two strong canes, 15 inches long for hybrid teas and grandifloras, and at least 1/8 inch in diameter. Grade 2 is the least expensive grade, and also the least reliable; they could end up an unwanted gamble.

The thicker the diameter, the better the plant, no matter from which of the hundreds of varieties you choose. The older cultivars tend to be extremely reliable, still come in a large variety of colors, and are usually more heavily scented.

Thoroughly soak the bare-root roses overnight prior to planting, for rehydration. Make 4 vertical slices into the pot, starting from below the soil line. Cut an “X” on the bottom of the pot. Dig a hole 6-8 inches wider & deeper than the pot. Amend your existing soil with our rose soil recipe.

• 30% Nurseryman’s Rose Planting Mix

• 20% Worm Gold Plus

• 50% Native soil

• Plus: 1 ½ cup Dr. Earth Rose Fertilizer

Backfill the prepared soil mixture halfway into the hole. Set the rose (pot & all) inside the center of the hole. Make sure the soil line in the pot is the same as ground level. Continue to backfill the hole. Tamp the soil firmly to remove any air pockets. Use the remaining mixture to make a water ring. The rim of the pot will be above ground making it a secondary water basin. Apply our Rose Cocktail the rose bush. Rose Cocktail: 1 Cup Gypsum, 1 Tbs. Sul Po Mag, 1 Tbs. Iron Plus (enough for 1 rose bush). Water the rose thoroughly inside the rim of the pot with a Root Master B-1 solution. Repeat application in 2 weeks. After planting, do not water again until green shoots start to appear. Fill the watering ring (inside & outside the pot) twice for deep watering.

Your new rose bush should bloom in 8 to 12 weeks. Prior to the first bloom, add two inches of mulch (we recommend Nurseryman’s Black Forest) over the entire bed; this will keep the roots cool and moist, conserve moisture in hot weather, and help to prevent weeds from gaining a foothold. As soon as your plant blooms, it is developed enough for feeding with a rose plant food. Feed with Dr Earth Rose Fertilizer after the initial bloom cycle and once a month thereafter; cease feeding two months before the first frost.

Now take a break from your labors, and imagine what, in a few short weeks, this bundle of sticks you've just planted will look like. Beauteous blooms will abound, and all because you cared enough to make the effort. Congratulations!

• Fertilize your plant every two weeks after the blooming season with a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer. Continue through August.
• By March or early April, when the colored bracts begin to turn or fall, cut the plant back, leaving 4 to 6 buds.
• Re-pot into a slightly larger container (2-3 inches larger in diameter).
• Keep the plant indoors near (not directly in) a sunny window or outdoors in a morning sun-afternoon shade location. Water and fertilize regularly, and by the end of May you should see vigorous new growth.
• Make sure to turn the plant so that the new growth grows evenly on all sides.
• If you have been growing them outdoors in the summer, when fall comes bring your poinsettia indoors to a sunny location before night temperatures fall below 55-60°F at night. Check for pests and diseases and place the poinsettia in a south window.
• Poinsettias begin to set buds and produce flowers as the nights become longer.
• Beginning October 1, keep your plants in complete darkness for 14 continuous hours each night by moving it into a dark room or placing a large box over it.
• During the day, allow 6-8 hours of bright sunlight. Flowers should mature in 60-85 days.
• Continue this for 8-10 weeks, and your poinsettias should develop a colorful display of holiday blooms!

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