Gardening This Weekend: December 29, 2022

Here’s that short list of things to get done as time and weather allow.

PLANT:
• Pansies, pinks and other annual color to spruce up your entry and patio.
• Fruit trees, grapes and bramble berries, but stick with varieties recommended by Texas A&M. Your local independent garden center will be more likely to have varieties suited to your part of Texas, as will recognized mail order sources from here in our state.

PRUNE:
• Do NOT top crape myrtles! We’ll give more details later, but if you’re about get out the saws and start whacking, just wait!
• Begin pruning peach and plum trees to remove strongly vertical shoots.
• Grapes to remove 80 to 85 percent of cane growth. You’ll have better clusters of higher quality fruit as a result.

FERTILIZE:
• Pansies and other annuals with diluted, high-nitrogen food each time that you water them.
• Newly transplanted trees, shrubs with liquid, high-phosphate root stimulator monthly.

ON THE LOOKOUT:
• Remove mistletoe as you see new clumps developing.
• Apply broadleafed weedkiller spray to non-grassy weeds. You’ll need a warm spell for the spray to be effective.
• Weakened branches of trees that could break should your area have an ice or snow storm or even a wind storm come spring.