Plants in Flower Witch Hazel, Daphne odora, January Jasmine, and Hellebores. Indoors: Amaryllis, Cyclamen, Poinsettia

Plants with Colorful Winter Berries American Beautyberry, Burford Holly, Chinese Holly, Foster Holly, Nellie R. Stevens Holly, Nandina (invasive), Pyracantha (invasive), and Washington Hawthorn.

What to Fertilize Use wood ashes on your vegetable garden, bulb beds, and non-acid loving plants if the pH of the soil is below 6.0.

What to Plant Plant asparagus crowns this month when soil is dry enough to work.

What to Prune Prune grapevines and fruit trees. Prune broken and undesired limbs on your shade trees. Remove “weed” or undesirable trees from your landscape.

Pest Outlook Scout dormant trees for scale insects, especially fruit trees.

Lawn Care Keep tree leaves from collecting on your lawn.

Propagation Hardwood cuttings of many landscape plants like forsythia (yellow bells), flowering quince, weigela, crape myrtle, juniper, spirea, and hydrangea can be taken this month.

Specific Chores

• Do not forget to care for holiday house plants like poinsettia, amaryllis, Christmas cactus, gloxinia, and cyclamen.
• Order your small fruit plants like strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry for a mid-March planting.
• Study your home landscape to see what additions or improvements can be made this spring.
• Visit your local Extension Center for landscape and garden information.
• Prepare a spot in the vegetable garden for early spring vegetables like English peas, cabbage, carrots, onions, Irish potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, and turnips.
• Study your seed catalogs and check for the All-America Selections of flowers and vegetables.
• Order fruit trees, if not done last fall. Contact the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Henderson County Center to find out the recommended small fruit varieties for your area.