Pruning roses in our area is typically done in mid February. The type of rose will determine when and how much it should be pruned. Ever blooming roses may be cut back ten to twelve inches and three to five healthy canes may be left on the shrub. Climbing roses and once blooming roses should be pruned back after they bloom in the Spring and may not need severe pruning. Dead wood and weak canes should be removed at any time during the year.  All major pruning of trees and shrubs should be completed this month before the Spring flush begins. Painting fresh cuts with pruning sealer is no longer a recommended horticultural practice. Trimming back Liriope, Asian Jasmine and ornamental grasses to remove brown winter foliage will allow it to come back clean and green in the Spring. LMC will be performing this service on your properties this month.

 A light application of balanced fertilizer is helpful for spring flowering bulbs, annuals and perennials. For newly planted trees, shrubs and roses it is best to hold off the fertilization until the roots become established and new growth begins. Remember that sun loving annuals perform best in full sun, so even with fertilization, flowering may suffer if we have a long stretch of cloudy or overcast days. We will be making our final preparations for Spring this month. Please remember that our landscape will remain dormant until temperatures begin to warm up.

Tips

 Your perennials are showing signs of winter stress. If this happens you can cut them back, apply a thin layer of mulch, and cover them if a hard freeze is predicted. Cut the plants down within 2-3 inches of the crown. Cutting too close can result in winter injury on some perennials due to the fact that the buds for next year's growth are right at the surface or higher and not below the soil line. Once Spring has arrived they will begin to flush their new growth.

Groundhogs Day Facts

Where does the name Punxsutawney come from?  Punxsutawney was first settled by the Delaware Indians in 1723 and its name comes from the Indian name for the location "ponksad-uteney" which means the "town of the sandflies." The name woodchuck also has Indian origins, coming from the legend of "Wojak, the groundhog."

Where exactly is Punxsutawney?

Punxsutawneyis located in Western Pennsylvania, about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

How did Phil get his name?

The groundhog's full name is actually "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary." It was so proclaimed by the "Punxsutawney Groundhog Club" in 1887, the same year they declared Punxsutawney to be the weather capital of the world.

How do you know it is really Phil at Gobbler's Knob?

For most of the year, Phil lives in a climate-controlled home at the Punxsutawney Library. He is taken to Gobbler's Knob and placed in a heated burrow underneath a simulated tree stump on stage before being pulled out at 7:25 am on Groundhog Day, February 2, to make his prediction.

How old is Phil anyway?

Phil is reputed by townspeople to be more than 100 years old, surviving beyond a marmot's normal life span thanks to the strong constitution of his wife, Phyllis, and a steady diet of Groundhog Punch.