With winter just around the corner, most gardens have been “put to bed” for the season with high hopes for the spring and summer to come.

What the garden season will be like next year is anyone’s guess, but hopefully it will be a good one with plenty of sunshine, rain and moderate temperatures that will encourage our flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees to produce the luxurious abundance we all hope for

Following are some questions and answers that may help us to have a great season next year in our yards and gardens.

Q.: What should I look for to know if the ornamental trees in my front yard need fertilizing? I do not fertilize on a regular basis.

A.: If your ornamental trees are growing poorly, have off-color or small leaves, and slow growth of branches or twigs, they may need fertilizing. Other signs may be; slow wound repair and susceptibility to insect damage and disease.

Symptoms of nutrient deficiency usually show up during the growing season through the spring and summer. This season of growth exerts extra stress on your trees and signs of problems become evident.

However, although you may notice the signs of stress during the spring and summer, it is best to hold off fertilizing until the fall, after the growing season is over. Your tree’s roots continue their growth until the ground freezes and they will absorb nutrients as long as the root growth is active. If you are not able to fertilize in the fall wait until early spring as soon as the ground thaws. The roots begin to grow before new growth appears in the spring.

Q.: I would like to add some shrubs to my yard that would be attractive and interesting all year round. Any suggestions?

A.: It is an attractive addition to any landscape to have shrubs that provide year round interest. Shrubs give structure and size in the garden and they create homes and food for birds and wildlife in the winter. Add to this, shrubs that provide color or eye-catching shape and form all year round and you have real garden “winners”.

Several varieties that you may want to try are:

Burkwood daphne (Daphne xburkwoodii). This shrub grows from 3 to 5 feet tall and 3 – 5 feet wide. It prefers partial shade and well-drained soil. Daphne produces masses of fragrant pink blooms in the spring and thick, beautiful foliage in the summer. Daphne is semi-evergreen in winter providing rich color through the drab winter months. Daphne varieties come in; solid green foliage, green leaves with white edging, and creamy-white leaves edged in green.

Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius). Ninebark grows from 3 to 10 feet high and 3 to 10 feet wide. It prefers sun to part shade and well-drained soil. This shrub has creamy white blooms in the spring and bronze-burgundy foliage through the summer and fall. In the winter, its bark peels back revealing a striking show of various shades of brown. It is extremely cold hardy and can be trimmed to any desired size and shape. Trimming will cause its foliage to be even more dense and full.

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Oakleaf grows from 4 to 8 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide. It prefers sun to part shade. This amazing shrub is a constant show all year round. In the spring, plump, green buds open to produce large silvery-green leaves. Summer brings clusters of florets that turn pink and then to golden-brown as they mature. In the fall, the hydrangea’s leaves change to shades of red, orange, brown, and purple. During the winter months, the dark older bark on the shrub peels away to reveal its red-brown inner layers. This one is a beautiful addition to any landscape.

The winter is a great time for gardeners to think about and make exiting plans for their gardens next year. And while we are sitting warm and snug near the fire doing all that planning, our yards and beds are getting a well-deserved rest under winter’s ice sheets and blankets of snow. It’s a combination that should produce some great gardening come next spring! 

If you have garden questions or tips for other gardeners, send them in to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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