By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Aren’t you sick and tired of the cold? Relax, just a few more weeks and the tulips will come up, the sun will be shining and you will be tuning up the old lawnmower.
Here are some tips to get you started:

• Stay off the frozen turf as much as possible.
  ◦ If not already done, order seeds for early planting.
  ◦ Order nursery stock for later delivery.
  ◦ Check mulches placed around plants in late fall to see if they are still in place. For the next two months, heaving soil can be a real problem.
  ◦ Where pansies, english daisies, and forget-me-nots are overwintering in cold frames, the frames must be kept cool and well ventilated all day when the temperature is above freezing.
  ◦ All kinds of cuttings, i.e. coleus, heliotrope, fuschia, begunia, and lantana root easily at this time of the year and make attractive plants for setting out in May.
  ◦ Sow seeds of Kalanchoe and Jerusalem cherry for blossoming plants for next Christmas.
  ◦ Prune flowering shrubs, particularly old, overgrown ones and those that bloom in summer on wood that will develop this spring. Slectively prune spring-flowering trees and shrubs soon after they flower.
  ◦ Even though this is a good time to prune, try to keep away from certain trees now and wait until they come into full leaf later this spring. These “bleeder” trees are: maple, beech, dogwood, elm and sycamore.
  ◦ Prune grapes without delay. If left to late, bleeding from the cuts will occur.
  ◦ Sowing of the following annuals that need a long season of growth shoul be made now. They include browallia, coleus, lobelia, petunia (large flowered), snapdragons, Vinca rosea and verbena. (Use a soilless mix as the propigating medium.