Gardening This Weekend: December 19, 2024

Here’s your check quick-list of this week’s activities.

PLANT
• Living Christmas trees as soon as you can. They get too “soft” if we keep them indoors in dark, warm conditions. They also don’t like low humidity.
• Bulbs you’ve had pre-chilling in the fridge. If you leave them there, you’re going to forget them. You’ll find them as you clean out the leftovers and it might be too late.
• Pansies and other cold-hardy color to brighten your entryway. Your local nursery professional can advise you of which types do best in your part of Texas.

PRUNE
• Clean up frozen growth from annual beds and perennial gardens to tidy things up.
• Mow the lawn one last time to clean up fallen leaves and remove the bulk of early winter weeds.
• Mistletoe from tree branches. Remove smaller branches entirely. Nip it off large branches. There is no spray that will kill it without harming your trees.

FERTILIZE
• Annual color with water-soluble plant food. Warm conditions encourage cool-season annuals to grow. Apply high-N food.

ON THE LOOKOUT
• Have frost cloth bought, cut to fit over beds, and ready to put in place when needed.
• When transporting poinsettias do not expose them to wind, and have the car heated should temperatures be anywhere near freezing. Cover with a lightweight cloth and move quickly if you’re in a place where temperatures are below 32F.