We all talk about the weather - but there is nothing we can do to change it! We've heard it for years and it's certainly true!

Our new year began as the last year ended — with rain, rain and more rain! While we can't turn nature's faucet on and off, we can help our garden take positive advantage of this overly generous portion of water.

Move as much of the rain as you can indoors! Natural rain provides essential nutrients not available in tap water. You'll see very happy plants when you water them with natural rain. You'll see a vigor and growth characteristic of a fertilization when you put them on a diet of natural rain. When it rains, put a bucket or two outside to collect and store this wonderful resource.

All this rain will also affect the garden. On the good side, you won't need to water for a while, and the natural rain is better for the garden, too.

On the bad side, an abundance of winter rain will bring about an abundance of undesirable vegetation (weeds) in early spring. Our goal is to reduce the weed problem while preserving the moisture accumulated in the soil.

We accomplish this goal by a heavy mulching of all our cultivated beds. Apply 1"-2" inches of mulch. With more rain yet to come, choose a material less likely to float out of the bed and onto the lawn. Cocoa mulch, cedar mulch or soil-building compost will be a better choice than regular bark; choose one that gives you the appearance you prefer.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen should be kept in cool temperatures. Too much heat can cause the leaves to yellow and the plant to stop blooming.

Provide your cyclamen with as much light as possible to encourage blooming. Sunburn usually isn't a problem in winter.

Keep the plant well watered. With good care, it should continue to bloom for another month or two.

Poinsettias

Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. Poinsettias need well-drained soil, so if your plant was wrapped in foil, tear the foil off the bottom so it can drain.

Like cyclamen, poinsettias prefer cooler temperatures, not above 70 degrees. If possible, move your poinsettia to a cooler area at night.

Give it plenty of sun and fertilize it about once a month.

Any active houseplants will also benefit from being fertilized once or twice this winter. But don't feed the ones that are dormant. Let them get some sleep so they'll be rested and ready in the spring!

Why You Should Prune

• Pruning dead, injured and diseased limbs from your plants helps keep them strong and healthy. Dead limbs can break in storms and damage other parts of the plant (or your house, if we are talking about trees).
• Pruning helps in producing larger, healthier flowers and fruit. Keeping a plant from overproducing also helps keep the plant healthy. Overproduction can weaken plants.
• Pruning to shape trees and bushes makes for a nicer looking garden.
• Pruning for space keeps your plants from running wild and taking over the lawn or garden.
• Pruning can help restore vigor to older trees and shrubs, as well as improving appearance.

When You Should Prune

• The best time to prune is during the plant's dormant season, generally in the winter.
• The exceptions are ornamental trees and shrubs grown especially for their spring flowers. Most of these should be pruned just after they bloom in the spring so the flowering buds are not removed.
• Evergreen plants can be pruned any time of year, but the best time is late winter or late summer just before seasonal new growth begins.
• Evergreen plants susceptible to frost damage should be pruned after there is any danger of frost.
• Tip: when you purchase a plant, ask us the best time to prune it.
• Dead, injured, or diseased limbs should be pruned immediately.

Tools

• Use hand shears for branches ¼ inch in diameter and smaller.
• Loppers are for larger jobs. The longer handles give you longer reach and better leverage. You can use these for branches up to about 2" on softwoods, less on hard woods (depending on the size and strength of the loppers — and you).
• Use pruning saws for larger branches.
• You might need a chain saw, or a professional tree cutter, for very large branches.

Technique

Pruning techniques vary, depending on what you are pruning and why you are pruning. We will cover the specifics in other articles. But here are some universals:

• The sharper the tool, the better. Using dull or rusty tools can harm the plant rather than help it.
• When pruning dormant plants, dormant spraying should be done immediately after pruning. If you feel lazy and decide to wait for a few days, you may find that new growth has begun to emerge. Your dormant spray will damage that tender new growth, setting your plant back and possibly resulting in deformed growth.
• When removing diseased limbs, get them away from the plant immediately and do not use the leaves for mulch, as that could spread the disease.

By the way, we are not recommending the technique shown below, even if we do think it makes a funny cartoon.