Late Winter Pruning 2007

There are quite a few plants in my yard that need a good prune.

1. Clematis - Henry and Franziska Marie, both Group II clematis. I'll do any necessary pruning on these around March1.
2. Purple Heart - This is one hardy plant. It really thrives in my yard. It has died back to the ground anyway, so I basically need to clean it out of the bed to let it start over from scratch when it begins to sprout this April.
3. Lantana - Cut back to 3-6 inch stems when new growth begins to emerge (not yet).
4. Sweet Olive - I can prune this one in January or later. I hope to get to it this weekend.
5. Ruella - I need to cut this one back to the ground this weekend and the new growth will take over this spring.
6. Palm Trees - Last year I decided that these were Cabbage (Sabal) palms. Now I'm not so sure. the fronds on my palms aren't as frilly as the Cabbage palms' fronds. Now I'm convinced mine is a Mexican Fan Palm. Two things about the plant have made me change my mind: the thatched trunk and the fan-like fronds. The Mexican Fan Palm is hardy to 20 degrees F. We haven't seen temps here much below 28 F this season, but the fronds are still looking a bit weepy and brown.
7. Crepe Myrtle - I'll give it a small trim this weekend.

I really hope it doesn't rain because I have TONS of work to do.

Garden Resolutions for the New Year

I will clean and dry my garden tools after each use as to prevent rust. Surely I hate cleaning rust more than I dislike cleaning the tools.

I will prune back the ruella in late-June so it doesn't eat the entire garden by September.

I will amend my soil with compost BEFORE I plant expensive shrubs and trees.

I will grow a healthy herb garden.

I will move or dispose of all the randomly placed junipers.

I will do something with the bare bed in my backyard. The azaleas did not like it there.

I will do a better job of weeding the backyard.

Whew! I think that is enough!