Gardening Tips for February

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Pruning Camellias

Camellia japonica can be grown as a large evergreen shrub or a small tree and they can also create an excellent screen. The best time to prune is when the blooms fade....about this time of year on many plants. Remove spent flowers to prevent seed formation. If possible, try to make pruning cuts just above the thickened, rough area on the stem.

Camellia Problem

A client called and said her camellia puts on good green foliage and a lot of pretty buds but they never open and eventually they will turn brown, rot, and fall off every year. This is a common problem in camellia called ÒbullnoseÓ. It is not known to be caused by a pathogen. It is a genetic problem related to the specific cultivar and/or possibly weather conditions. No treatment is available. If it reappears consistently each year then the plant should be replaced. With other plants the ÒbullnoseÓ condition may only appear sporadically."

Winter Lawn Care

February will be a good time to evaluate your turf. The lawns that will need the most attention are the ones that are green and brown! The green parts are the cool season grasses and weeds - fescue, bluegrass, annual bluegrass, etc. and the brown areas are the warm season grass species-Bermuda, Centipede, Zoysia or dead areas. The goal should be to have one or the other, and not both. Consult the Carolina Lawns publication from your local Cooperative Extension Office for complete information on renovating turf areas.

Garden Clean Up

The soil may be too wet to work, but itÕs never too wet in landscape beds to add mulch. Generally, this time of year the beds could stand a late winter touch up. Add a fresh layer of pine needles or bark to the beds

EVERGREEN AZALEAS IN ORDER OF BLOOM

Many landscape projects are planned and planted in the fall for a great display in the spring. Azaleas are great landscape plants and perform beautifully if planted in the correct microclimate....under tall pine trees in rich, well drained soil, with a sprinkler system would be ideal. It is possible to have a prolonged season of bloom (2 months) from the azaleas if numerous cultivars are used. The following is a list of popular evergreen azaleas according to their normal sequence of bloom.
Early: Hino de giri, Sherwood Red, Coral Bells, Tradition, H.H. Hume, Hershey's Red, Snow, Hino Crimson, Delaware Valley.
Midseason: G.G. Gerbing, George Tabor, President Clay, Formosa, Rosebud, Elaine, and Pink camellia.
Late: Gumpo, Lady Robin, Martha Hitchcock, Harris Purple, Higasa

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