lawn care

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

Hey! It’s January, and not just any old January. It is the beginning of the end of the first quarter of the 21st centur. (Look, any excuse for a party, right?). December has come and gone (along with 2024). It only got almost really cold, we had a little rain, and we had some really pleasant days. I’ll take it. Now it is a new month, new year and new garden. Is there a garden in existence that can’t stand some degree of change? I think not. That’s one of the beautiful, wonderful, and frustrating things about gardens. They are never complete or even just right. So, what’s gonna be new in your garden in 2025? Regardless, here are a few (very few, it is January after all) things you can do in the “old” garden should the month deliver a “balmy” day or two.

If you haven’t already cleared the lawn of leaves, exactly what are you waiting for? There won’t be anymore leaves falling until the oaks shed their bottom leaves in the spring. Just do it, already. Take a really good look at the grass area of your yard and see if there is a possibility of eliminating some (all?) of the grass. Less lawn equals less expense and greater sustainability. Think about it. It’s your planet, too.

Fertilizer

Nope. Nothing to see here folks.

Planting

Maybe some asparagus crowns, but that’s about it for January. I take that back. I successfully transplanted trees from the nursery in January. Just remember if it turns dry, they need water even if they don’t have any foliage.

Asparagus can grown from one-year-old roots, called crowns. Crowns grow vertically and horizontally. This is an example of ‘Purple Passion’ asparagus crowns. (Image credit: NC Cooperative Extension (osiristhe CC BY-ND-2.0)

Pruning

This is it. Your best reason to go play in the yard in January. Trees and shrubs especially are less traumatized by January pruning. The wounds heal faster from January infliction than in other months. Also, unless you have an actual hedge, please resist the temptation to use the hedge trimmer. Shearing is best left to the English, French or Japanese formal gardens. Hand pruning individual branches will produce healthier and more esthetically pleasing plants.

Spraying

So, the plants you brought in off the deck for the winter had “friends” on them and now they are somewhat bothersome? It happens. If possible, take them back out on a nice day and spray them with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. Let them dry then bring them back inside. If you have to spray them inside just be careful. Wipe up any overspray. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. If you have azaleas planted in a sunny location, you probably have azalea lace bugs. They will be actively feeding whenever it is above 40 degrees. Spray them with a horticultural oil and be done with them (at least until hot weather).

Lace bugs congregate on the undersides of azalea and rhododendron leaves. They suck out the sap, robbing the plant of nutrients and causing the leaves to turn speckled grey-brown or silvery. The nymphs excrete honeydew, a sugary liquid on which sooty mold develops. If this coating becomes dense it decreases photosynthesis, further reducing the plant’s health. (Image credit: NC Cooperative Extension, JR Baker)

What to do when January is too inhospitable to play outside?

Three words: seed catalogs, Google. Think about places in the garden where you might experiment with plants you haven’t tried before. Research the plant’s appropriateness for the space. “Right Plant Right Place” isn’t just a catchy phrase. Especially think about natives. Is the sunniest part of your yard right out front? Stick some tomatoes in with the petunias and marigolds, or put peppers in the perennial bed. It’ll give the neighbors something to talk about until you start sharing the tomatoes. If you have an HOA, my condolences.

Stay warm, y’all. March is closer than you imagine.

Additional Reading and Resources

Learn the best way to sharpen your shears before you prune.

Interested in starting an asparagus bed?

Leaving the garden a little untidy in the winter can provide an important food source for birds.

Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5rZ

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

(Left to right) The October surprise, or should we say November surprise, of the ACG is the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). Do you still have pumpkins and gourds hanging around through Thanksgiving? Each year an estimated 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins and gourds end up in landfills. Consider adding them to your compost or find a local participating municipality accepting them for donation. See below for more on Earth-friendly ways to deal with your organic decorations post-holiday.¹ (Image credit: Dan Mullem CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; Melinda Heigel)

How ‘bout that October? Except for precipitation of any sort, there was something for almost everyone—a little hot, a little cool, and some stereotypical October Piedmont North Carolina, NC State Fair weather. There haven’t been very many State Fairs in my memory without some honest to goodness rain. We’ve been blessed unless, of course, you were trying to grow plants which is sort of what we’re all about here. So, mixed blessings? I mean, as fantastic as this area is, it still ain’t Camelot, Guinevere.

(Left to right) The ACG is still providing blooms this November. The drought-resistant African marigolds prove their hardiness. When planting for fall color, you can count on the New England aster and pink muhly grass to provide late-season interest. (Image credit: Gary Crispell; Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

The Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) is too stubborn to give in to the crazy droughty up and down weather. There are some tough characters out there. The toughest of which must be the gallardia (G. pulchella). It doesn’t know quit. The African marigold (Tagetes erecta) and the zinnias (Z. elegans) are also heat and drought tolerant along with the false vervain (Glandularia bipinnatatifida). (Somebody stayed up late naming that one!)

A delightful surprise this year is a lovely New England aster (Symphotrichum novae-angliae). It isn’t as erect as I might be as it was crowded in amongst some other things, and I didn’t become aware of its existence until recently. Next year. Most of the hardy ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum) have succumbed to the drought and the shorter days. There are a couple of late-to-the-party purple cone flowers (Echinacea purpurea) and a stray black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). The muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) are looking a little thin and wispy, but I attribute that to it being the first year in the ground for them. Enough about my garden, let’s talk about what we can do in yours in November.

Lawn Care

Well, if your lawn has survived “No Moisture November” the main task for November is keeping it relatively leaf free. Whatever your remove from the lawn should be composted or used as mulch. The leaves do not belong in the landfill (or the ditch out front, for that matter). Cool season lawns (tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) will still need mowing at the 3½” to 4” height.

The leaf admonishment pertains here, also. If you renovated/overseeded your lawn this fall it will need watering until the drought is done with us. 1” per week minimum applied in two ½” applications is necessary to keep it going.

Fertilizing

Not this month. If your (FREE until the end of November here in NC) SOIL TEST indicates a need to raise the pH, apply the appropriate the proper amount of lime and incorporate it into the soil if possible. Lime doesn’t readily move through the soil and incorporating the lime gets to the roots where it is needed.

Planting: Yes, “Fall is for Planting”

Trees, shrubs, and ground covers planted now will have all winter and early spring to put down roots in order to better withstand next year’s drought periods. (They’re coming. Trust me.) Spring flowering bulbs can still be planted until the end of the month. Year-old asparagus crowns can be transplanted now.