by Donna Hagar, Somervell County Master Gardener
Lawn Care – if you are lucky enough to have a plethora of deciduous trees, rake leaves and either use as mulch in landscape beds or run through a shredder and add to the compost pile
Planting – Take advantage of the frequent warmish weather and plant container plants or transplants. After Christmas, get those live Christmas trees in the ground so their roots have a chance to establish before spring!
Pruning – you can cut back herbaceous perennials after the frost kills the tops if the sight is offensive to you. But remember, many perennials have beautiful color and texture so you may wish to leave them until later winter. If you do cut them back, be sure to much them well. Any dead or diseased wood can be pruned out anytime of the year.
Inside – Enjoy some couch time browsing seed catalogs and ordering seeds for your spring garden, or fruit trees and grape vines if you wish to plant them in February and March.
Outside – Again, on these nice weather days, work your onion beds by adding compost and organic nitrogen to prepare for late January onion planting.
And Mulch, Mulch, Mulch – Plants need extra warmth during winter, and mulching will act as a protective blanket for them. It will keep moisture where it is needed, and prevent weeds from taking hold, while keeping soil temperature even for tender plants. Be sure to water well if it hasn’t rained before mulching. Light rains will not penetrate thru the thick layer of mulch needed to protect plants from temperature swings. New plants that have not taken root yet especially need mulching.