Gardeners Checklist: Here Is What to Do on the Week of Dec. 31

by Ron Kujawski

After the holidays, gather all the discarded Christmas trees around the neighborhood. Tell your neighbors that you are doing this out of goodwill. In reality, you want to use branches cut from the trees as mulch over perennial borders — neighbors don’t have to know that. Since snow seems hard to come by thus far this season (that statement will guarantee a blizzard), the boughs will protect plants from heaving out of the ground as a result of alternate freezing/thawing cycles.

* Get your power equipment tuned or repaired during the winter months. Don’t wait until spring when repair shops are jammed with procrastinators —no, that’s not a new type of garden cultivator.

* Wondering what to do with those holiday plants you bought or received? Well, wonder no more.  Here are some tips:

Amaryllis: After the flowers are spent, cut off the flower stalk about two inches above the bulb. Water the plant regularly and apply a water-soluble plant fertilizer every two to three weeks until late summer. Then let the soil dry and cut back the foliage. Store the potted bulb in a cool, dark place until new growth begins in fall.

Azalea: Keep potted azaleas in bright light but at cool temperatures. Water enough to keep the soil evenly moist. Prune lightly in June to shape the plant and set it outdoors for the summer.

Cyclamen: Another plant that likes bright light and cool temperatures, cyclamen will continue to bloom for many weeks. Once it stops blooming, gradually reduce watering and allow the plant to go dormant. In late June, begin watering again to spur growth.

Ron Kujawski began gardening at an early age on his family's onion farm in upstate New York. Although now retired, he spent most of his career teaching at the UMass Extension Service. He serves on Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Advisory Committee. His book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook, is available here.