Watch your step, and trim those roses
February is often our rainiest month, so the advice to not walk on a wet garden bed bears repeating. If you must -- to prune a rose, for instance -- toss a 2-by-2 piece of plywood on the ground and step on that.
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The good spray
On leafless roses and fruit trees, use a dormant spray to smother pests and kill diseases. Dormant sprays are safe and easy on the garden and a good way to get the jump on spring’s bugs and diseases. Don’t spray when days are hot.
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Flower shop
Nurseries are packed with annual and perennial bedding plants -- most in quart or 4-inch pots -- that can be popped into empty spots for “instant” color. Two of my favorites for late planting are the coral-colored diascias or the blue nemesias (such as ‘Bluebird’), which look right and proper even when planted among natives such as California fuchsias, salvias or wild iris. Pansies and violas are another good bet that will last till late spring. Primulas of all kinds excel in shade.
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A close shave
Most roses require pruning in winter, preferably in the next two weeks. Make all cuts just above a five-part leaf that faces out from the plant, so growth is not spindly and the center remains airy. Remove crossing and rubbing branches. On modern varieties, lower the bush by a third or, in the case of hybrid teas, even half. Prune off growth that’s thinner than a pencil. Leave healthy, evenly spaced canes (the main, upright branches), but remove woody, bark-covered ones to encourage new growth. Antique and old-fashioned roses need little pruning, so simply nip back last year’s new growth. Remove a few old canes to open plants. Miniatures can be lightly pruned with hedge shears. Climbers bloom on horizontal canes, so prune to encourage them and cut off old flower clusters.
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Little lettuces
It’s difficult getting seeds to sprout in cold weather, but if you feel the need for fresh veggies, try sowing baby lettuces or European-style mesclun mixes, such as Renee’s Garden California Spicy Greens. These will sprout in almost any weather. Don’t bother with rows; scatter seed lightly over a 3-by-3 area -- as if you were starting a small lawn -- then cut leaves when they are about 4 to 6 inches tall. You can make several trimmings before greens turn bitter and you must sow more.
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Freeze, hold it!
If frost nips plants, don’t do anything. Wait until mid-spring to see actual damage and then cut off only that. Remove it now and you might encourage new growth that will get nipped again.
