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Gardening with Job's Nursery LLC
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Greetings!
Spring is on the way! Winter is on the downward slope with the days getting longer and longer each day! New for 2013 is a slight name change Job's Nursery LLC; the Job Family still owns Job's, we are just transitioning from one generation to another. I finished getting our new check out system up and running, this will make Job's more efficient at checkout, better manage our inventory and clean up our daily chores. We also have added directional signage to help you find your way around the nursery. Finally we are preparing to kick off spring with a booth at the Home and Garden Show at TRAC Feb 22 to 24; so come say hi! Our hours for February are Monday to Saturday 9 to 5.
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What to do for February in Gardening
 February is good to start preparing for spring or for planting trees. It's been a while since we had rain so do water those evergreens and Japanese Maples. February is a great time to prune those fruit trees, grapes, and summer flowering shrubs back into shape. A hard winter prune for these types of plants is like a spa day for them. It reinvigorates them! For fruit trees, grapes, blackberries and rose an annual heavy prune works best. For Summer flowering plants like Spiraea, Potentilla, Butterfly Bushes and others is every 3 to 4 years. This keeps the plants from becoming woody, rough looking as it stimulates new fresh growth and blooms. Below in the second article I go over which plants what to do with them.
The next key thing this month is to apply dormant oils and fungicides. Last year we had a lot of garden disease issues where plants that are normally problem free had issues like Crimson King Maples. Now is the time to wipe out those spores and clean trees, fruit trees, and shrubs with a fungicide like Copper or Fungonil. Since the plant is dormant you can use the dormant application rates listed on the bottle of your choice of fungicide. Dormant Oil or Horticulture Oil are used to reduce or wipe out over wintering insects, their larva, or eggs. This is helpful for fruit trees but also other plants that have been consistently buggy. When you go to spray this month make sure its above 40 degrees F and the plant has not begun to swell it buds or leaf out. Evergreen shrubs should be sprayed with dormant oil in March to prevent damage. Another word on spraying is double check the species and the sprays you have chosen to make sure there won't be any complications. Common quick ones are Apricots don't like Sulfur while Hydrangeas and Roses can't be sprayed with Copper below 60 degrees F.
If you are unsure about pruning, spraying, the products to use; you are more than welcome to come out and talk about it. For pruning you can take a picture and print it on a 8 1/2x11 sheet of copy paper. From there we can draw out where to cut.
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Worth a visit, The Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens
 This past January; Arthur, my fiancee, roomate and I journeyed to the Big Island of Hawaii to explore, relax and enjoy a little break from the cold. We saw a lot of the island; the central desert, along the ocean, the Volcano Park, Akaka Falls and this gem the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens. It is a 17 acre garden in a tropical rainforest set in a valley that leads to the Pacific. It is incredible! It was started by Lutkenhouses who spent 8 years working the valley; taking it from a junk mess of trash and invasive weed species to creating this garden.
You start by wandering down a path into this world of tropical flowers, foliage, and fauna from around the world. Water falls, ponds and the ocean accent this tropical paradise. It is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. We discovered gardens of orchids, anthuriums, bamboo, giants ferns and many more. All labeled with their names and origins; it was fascinating learning about these species. Located just north of Hilo along a scenic drive. If you find yourself on the Big Island it's worth exploring. We totally enjoyed it and I find it to be one of the best gardens I have visited.
To learn more about the garden follow these links
My Facebook Album (open to the public, so all can see)
Here is the website for the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens and their Facebook Page
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Who needs a Late Winter Pruning?
 February is a great month to do some heavy pruning on a few plants. Need to size something, rejuvenate it or simply clean it up; this is the time of year to do it. Here is the list of plants that could use a trim.
Roses-Mid February to Early March before there buds begin to green or red tip. You want to take them down to about 2 feet tall, more if they have winter killed back further. Then eliminate any damaged, diseased branches or canes. Also you want to remove some older canes to allow room for new canes to take their place. Your target is thin out about a third of the canes. Here is a video pruning roses in Late Winter
Fruit Trees-This is a great time of year to prune the fruit trees to make them easier to spray, thin, or pick. As well as rejuvenate any old trees. The different species of fruit trees have different pruning needs so here is a pdf on Pruning Fruit Trees for Late Winter.
Summer Flowering Shrubs- Summer Flowering shrubs are shrubs that develop flowers on the current growing season's growth that have a bloom time during the Late Spring, Summer of Early Fall. With age these plants can get rangy or rough looking. A simple way to rejuvenate them is to cut them back hard up to a third of the plants original height (if they are really bad you can cut them to the ground). Then thin out a majority of the older branches, these branches are the ones that are thicker at the base. Then remove about a quarter of the branches so the plant has an open uncrowded branch habit. Here is a pdf list of shrubs that can use a hard prune ever 3 to 5 years.
Ornamental Grass-If you left them up all winter, now is great time to clean them up!
Shade Trees- With Shade trees you can trim out crossing branches. Redirect any branches heading inward; you can also eliminate co-dominant leaders or if winter has damaged a leader you can redirect a new one.
Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophilea)- On Bigleaf hydrangeas the one that grow in the shade and have those large balls of blooms, you only want to trim out the winter kill. If you cut to much out they will not bloom.
Grapes-For mature grapes you can do one of two types of pruning this time of the year. Cane pruning or spur pruning. The goal of each one of these techniques to reduce the amount of fruit producing vines to ensure a quality crop as well as consistent crop cycles year after year. To spur prune you goal is to select 2 to 4 of the healthiest one year old spurs (short twigs from where flowers and grapes develop from) on the each of the main canes. To Cane Prune you want to select 2 to 4 of the best vines that are one year old, then cut them back to have only have 15 buds per cane. Keep a couple spurs with 2 buds each to allow for next year fruiting canes to develop. Then remove the other canes. To better understand pruning grapes here is a pdf by Oregon State University Extension with diagrams on both techniques.
Blackberries-Prune out the dead canes and leave the new canes to develop.
Raspberries-Reduce your summer bearing varieties height by a third to promote a strong spring crop.
Evergreens like Arborvitae, Boxwood and Junipers can be trimmed to keep their shape or reduced in height. Never prune so far back that you no longer have green foliage otherwise the plant looks terrible or dies.
Things to avoid pruning this time of the year. Spring Flowering Shrubs like Lilacs, Magnolias, Mock oranges, Quince, Rhodies, Azaleas and Heathers; because your going to cut off your flower show. Pines, Spruces, Needle Cedars are a no go as well. Finally keep you hands off the Flowering Dogwood Trees and other Spring Flowering Trees unless you don't want a flower show this year!
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Well that's all for now, remember to connect with us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Youtube!
Thank you for your interest
Alex Job
Job's Nursery LLC
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February and March Hours Monday-Saturday 9 to 5
4072 Columbia River Road
Pasco, Washington 99301
509-547-4843
    
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