February is spelled wrong. What’s with that first “r”? Most people don’t use it. It is named from the Latin februarius (purification) from a festival of purification that was held during the month. It’s the shortest month. Native Americans called the full moon this month (the 18th) the Snow Moon and sometimes the Hunger Moon (because all of the snow made hunting difficult). Presidential Birthdays and Valentine’s Day are just a few of the celebrations this month. By the time you read this, Ground Hog Day will have passed and we will know how much winter is left to enjoy or endure depending on your point of view.
Given that I do not put any trust in a big waddling rodent’s ability to predict the weather on such a long term perspective, I’d like to propose a new holiday, Ground Hug Day. This would be a day to celebrate the ground, dirt, from a speck to a clod. Better yet we would celebrate soil, that part of the earth’s skin which can produce life. If it weren’t for soil we wouldn’t have most plants and without plants we wouldn’t have food, oxygen, fuel, shelter, clothing, transportation, medicine, furniture or even popsicle sticks. In short, we wouldn’t be.
On Ground Hug Day we would be encouraged to get out and look at, feel and smell the soil. It would be a day to dig up some soil samples and send them off to be analyzed so we would know what amendments to add to improve it. All the dignitaries could gather with those golden shovels they use for ground breaking ceremonies and dig up a patch of dirt, toss it up in the air to the cheers of bystanders. Little children would be encouraged to make mud pies. Little boys would be excused from bathing. Farmers would get a paid day off. Schools would close so the children could join the parades singing the praises of the earth.
A parade of plows, cultivators, and excavating equipment would be held. Groups of gardeners with shovels and trowels could march. Cadres of rototillers decked out with crepe paper and plastic mulch would compete to see who had the prettiest machine. Dirt lovers would crowd the curbs to see all the excitement. Groups of people could organize around their favorite soil constituent’s sand, clay, silt and loam. The only problem I see is that we would need to find a better month for the festivities than February, like May?
But it is February and winter is in full force no matter what the ground hog saw or didn’t see. This time of year perennial plants are dormant. All but the evergreens have lost their leaves. Trees’ branches are bare and it makes it easier to spot problems. You can inspect your trees by starting at the top and slowly work your way down. Look for broken branches, cavities, limbs that cross and rub, wounds and excessively peeling bark. On smaller trees you may want to take care of problems yourself. On larger trees you may want to call in an expert to inspect and perhaps correct any problems. Arborists are in a slow time of year. The frozen ground will not be damaged and compacted as much from equipment and crews. Insects and disease are less likely to be attracted to cuts while trees are dormant.
The Arbor Day Foundation recommends, and I agree, that you have Certified Arborists check any safety problems you may have noticed. To find them go to www.isa-arbor.com click on “Verify Certification” and then “Find an Arborist.” Most important, do not allow anyone to “top your trees.” Aside from their ugly appearance, topped trees have their future health and safety compromised. There are ways to shorten a tree, if that’s what you want, than by topping them. A skilled and trained arborist know’s how to do this.
And old rule of pruning is, where you cut is where you will get growth. Cut off a branch and more branches will sprout from that spot. A process called apical dominance controls this process. If you know what you’re doing you can use this process to get the kind of growth you want. You can check out www.ohioline.osu.edu or www.arborday.org to get more information and tips on pruning.
Things to do in the garden:
Not much. Check perennials for heaving up out of the ground. Press them down gently with your foot on the “balmy” days and pull up a little mulch around them.
If you haven’t already, run your lawn mower until it is out gas. If you have a riding mower do the same or schedule maintenance.
Prune any damage out of your trees and shrubs (see above). Now you can see the structure and shape the plant to your liking. You can also check for the bag worm cocoons and remove them. No, they are not nature’s Christmas ornaments.
If you have decided on roses, shrubs or trees order them now. It is a real bummer to get “out of stock” messages on varieties you had your heart set on.
If you’ve ever thought about a gardener’s diary now would be a good time to start one. If not a diary how about a notebook where you keep notes, diagrams, maps and lists? Cutting out planting and care directions from seed catalogs and pasting them in a notebook can be handy.
If you have plants dormant in your garage or basement check to see if they need a little water. Enjoy the slower pace and the lengthening daylight. And, let’s think about Ground Hug Day.
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