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North Mississippi Gardening Tips
November/December, 2001

Notes for November and December

Hey, it's the holiday season! Thanksgiving and Christmas are holidays filled with family gatherings, parties with friends and co-workers, delicious feasts, giving and receiving of gifts--lively, loud and joyous times! But it also should be a time for thoughtful introspection, counting our blessings and quiet prayer--activities to keep us focused on why these holidays are celebrated by a country that was founded by men who believed strongly in God.

Annual Flowers and Vines

When you mention flowering annuals most people think of marigolds, zinnias, petunias and other summer annuals, but we in the South can also grow annuals during the winter months. Garden centers and nurseries usually have a selection of winter annuals available in the fall. Selections would include pansies, dianthus, English daisy, stock, snapdragon, wallflower, and forget-me-nots. Some cold tolerant annuals you can easily grow from seed sown in the fall would be rocket larkspur (Consolida ambigua), poppies, Johnny-jump-ups, and bachelor's buttons (cornflowers). Many gardeners do not know that these cold tolerant plants can often go right through winter with little or no protection. Most of these can withstand temperatures in the teens. Single digit temperatures would kill some without protection. Those most cold hardy are English daisy, Johnny-jump-up and pansies. Remember that susceptibility to cold damage is not based solely on the degree of temperature but the duration and how fast the drop in temperature occurs. A gradual cooling is easier to take than an overnight plunge from 60 degrees to 5 degrees.

Bulbs

Now is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs. The soil has sufficiently cooled so that root development will occur without premature emergence of foliage. Daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, tulips and many others can be planted throughout November. Try to have all these planted by the middle of December to provide adequate time for roots to develop before foliage emerges in early spring. Select a location that gets preferably full sun and is well drained. Although they will live and flower in partial shade the most abundant flowering occurs in full sun for those bulbs mentioned. Plant at the depth recommended on the package for each type bulb you are planting. You can incorporate some fertilizer formulated for bulbs into the planting hole under the bulb. Fertilize the bulb bed again after flowering in the spring.

Container Gardens

Now that you have moved all the tender "porch plants" indoors, have you thought about what you are going to do to fill the void? To add some "plant interest" for the winter months to those barren areas vacated by your tender container plants on the porch, entranceway, deck or patio, how about considering planting an evergreen in a container? Evergreen shrubs are without question the most versatile and frequently used plants in the landscape, so it's a little surprising you don't see them in containers more often.

Choosing the right evergreen for a container is a matter of personal taste and the plant's requirements. The top evergreens for containers are yew, junipers, boxwood, arborvitae, dwarf Alberta spruce, camellia, hollies and cherry laurel. Don't forget to consider the plant's ultimate size and shape. For plants that will receive full sun, use a heavier soil mix for the container so it won't dry out as quickly. Adding water-absorbing gels to potting soil can help retain moisture. Good drainage is critical so make sure the container has adequate drainage holes. Elevate the pot with "pot feet" if the bottom is not concave enough to allow a space for the water to drain easily from under the pot. Don't let your outdoor living areas and entranceways be "plant naked" this winter. Dress them up with evergreens in containers!

Fruit

Fruit bearing trees, vines, shrubs and brambles can be planted now. Balled and burlapped, bare-root and container-grown fruit trees to plant would include peaches, apples, cherries, pears, plums and nectarines. Grapes, muscadines, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries can also be planted during November and December. Be sure to plant two or more cultivars of blueberries for cross-pollination and fruit set. Check with your nurserymen if you are purchasing one muscadine plant to make sure it is a variety that will set fruit. Some muscadine varieties have only female flowers and would require another variety as a male pollinator for fruit set. These muscadine varieties require a pollinator: Scuppernong, Summit, Fry and Jumbo. These muscadine varieties are self-pollinating and will pollinate the varieties listed above: Carlos, Magnolia, Roanoke, Doreen and Regale. Do not plant strawberries or figs until January or February. Remember to keep the strawberry bed heavily mulched to prevent heaving out of the ground during freezing weather and to keep the winter weeds under control.

Plant Chinese chestnut, pecan, walnut and other nut trees now. Always plant two of three Chinese chestnut trees so they can cross-pollinate. This will ensure a good nut harvest.

Groundcovers and Lawns

Those of us with huge Bermuda or zoysia lawns are grateful for the first killing frost that abruptly puts an end to the weekly mowing ritual. Thank goodness, we can park the noisy lawnmower until next spring. Cool season grasses like fescue and Kentucky bluegrass still are green, but cold nights and cloudy winter days have slowed growth of these grasses to a crawl resulting in less mowing. Bermuda lawns that have been overseeded with ryegrass will still need mowing to look neat and trim. Ryegrass should grow and remain green all winter.

Remember to keep fallen leaves off all lawn grasses. Matting of fallen leaves can smother grass, even dormant grasses. Removing fallen leaves from evergreen groundcovers is a different matter. I personally do not worry about autumn leaves falling on my English Ivy, periwinkle or monkeygrass ground cover areas. English ivy and monkeygrass quickly outgrow any leaves that may fall into the beds; in fact, the ability of these groundcovers to "consume" fallen leaves is just another good reason to use them under deciduous trees instead of trying to grow grass. I do remove thick layers of leaves that have fallen on my prostrate junipers like 'Blue Rug' or 'Blue Pacific.' I have found that if leaves are allowed to remain in a thick mat on my juniper groundcover throughout the winter, by next spring when I finally get around to raking them off, the foliage under the leaves is yellowing and dying from lack of sunlight and air.

Perennial Flowers and Vines

By now most perennials are dormant with top growth completely dead. Some perennials retain green foliage throughout the winter but growth has slowed or almost come to a standstill. Now is the time to remove unsightly foliage and add a new layer of mulch to help control winter weeds and make the beds look well groomed for the winter. Be careful when applying mulch not to cover the crowns of the dormant perennials. Covering the crowns will hold moisture and could cause disease, rotting and death of the plant.

Trees and Shrubs

Hardwood cuttings are typically taken in December, January and February. What is a hardwood cutting? This type of cutting is made from a plant while it is dormant or after it has completed its annual growth and the wood has had time to become hardened. Examples of plants that can be propagated by hardwood cuttings are althea, quince, wisteria, crapemyrtle, hydrangeas, rose, and spirea. This method will also work with many evergreens, including junipers and yew.

Cuttings should be from tip growth, from 4 to 8 inches long with four to six buds per cutting. Put the cuttings in an outdoor propagation box or directly outdoors in a well-drained soil. Stick cuttings deep, leaving only the top 4 inches exposed. Keep soil evenly moist and protect cuttings from drying winter winds. Watch for new growth in spring. When new foliage emerges and the roots are well-developed transplant to a container or to a place in the garden. These young plants will need coddling through their first year as they establish a good root system and begin to form branches. Keep them well watered and fertilized all through the growing season.

Need advice on how to pick out the freshest Christmas tree on the lot? Try this test recommended by the National Christmas Tree Association. Grasp a twig between your thumb and forefinger approximately six inches from the tip and pull your fingers toward the branch tip. If any needles come off in your hand, pass that tree by.

Do you like to use berry-laden holly branches for holiday decoration, but the birds always beat you to the berries? Clip branches before the thieving birds attack, place stem ends in a bucket of water and keep the holly in a cool basement or garage until decorating time. Foliage and berries should remain fresh as long as they are kept cool and supplied with water.

Vegetables and Herbs

The vegetable garden probably looks pretty barren and sad by this time. If you are not growing cool-season vegetables, you should consider "covering" that barren vegetable plot with a cover crop. November is not too late to sow a cover crop of Austrian winter peas in north Mississippi. Unless we have exceptionally cold temperatures after sowing these peas should germinate and grow well if sown in early November. It is probably too late to sow crimson clover as this plant needs a period of warm weather to get established. Cover or green manure crops prevent washing, keep the soil loose through the winter, build nitrogen in the soil, and provide green manure humus when you turn them under in the spring. The only problem I have ever found with growing Austrian winter peas as a cover crop is deer eat it like candy. If your property is subject to roaming deer, be prepared to take preventive measures to keep these large "rodents" from making a feast of your winter peas.

Now through December is the time to plant garlic. Plant garlic cloves 2 to 3 inches deep in well-drained highly organic soil. The foliage will soon emerge and form somewhat of a rosette that will remain through the winter. More vigorous growth will resume in the spring with the onset of warmer weather. Tip: To remove skin easily from garlic cloves, soak cloves for five minutes in warm water.

If you are an herb gardener or if you are just interested in herbs you might want to check out the herb information on the Mississippi State University website. The herb information website address is http://www.msucares.com/lawn/herbs/index.html. This web page provides links to other herb information about cooking with herbs (recipes included), growing herbs in the vegetable garden, and herbal gifts (directions for several projects included).

Winter is a favorite time to enjoy dried beans. Unfortunately this wholesome food has some unpleasant side effects. My mama instructed me as a young girl in the process of de-gassing beans. She said to always throw away the water in which the beans were soaked, add fresh water, cook the beans for 15 minutes, drain that water off, cover with fresh water and complete the cooking process. Growing up I remember that daddy often accused mama of feeding this highly combustible "pot liquor" to my brother's German shepherd, who had the habit of releasing silent but deadly clouds of gastrointestinal disturbances while sleeping near the fireplace-a potentially explosive situation!

Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes North Mississippi Gardening Tips monthly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.