BOXERWOOD GARDEN NOTES

January 2012
Faith Vosburgh, Boxerwood Horticulturalist

Pruning: January and February are good months to do some tree pruning. Most trees are best pruned at the same time wood is shed in nature (exceptions are some of the fruit-ing ornamental trees such as Crabapples, Pears and Cherries). In winter, wind, snow, and ice snap off dead and weak branches on trees that are fully dormant. We spend a lot of time here at Boxerwood in the winter just picking up sticks. When the leaves are off the trees, it is much easier to see the branching structure. Look for those crossing branches or those that are dead or diseased. You want to have a strong well-balanced framework. Look for an outward facing bud that will give a new shoot room to develop. For alternate buds, make a slanting cut about •••” above the bud; for opposite buds, cut squarely across the tops of the buds as close as you can get. When the weather warms the wounds will heal quickly.

Planting: By now, you probably have seed catalogs arriving weekly. I am sure we all have our favorites. I have ordered from Park Seed (www.parkseed.com) for years, as did my mother before me. Another favorite is a fairly new seed company in Massachusetts called Select Seeds (www.selectseeds.com) . They specialize in antique and heirloom flow-ers, seeds you won’t find elsewhere. If you need gorgeous pictures to guide your selections, then order the catalog from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Missouri (www.rareseeds.com). Other tried and true seed companies include: Seed Savers Ex-change in Iowa (www.seedsavers.org), Maine’s FEDCO Seeds (www.fedcoseeds.com) and Johnny’s Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com) and Virginia’s own Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (www.southernexposure.com). Each year my original orders total hundreds of dollars which I have to sit down, go over, and scale back dramatically.

Do you have seed left over from last year? It is probably still good. Most seed will last for about two years, even longer if you keep them in cold dry storage. I usually store my seed in ziplock bags in the refrigerator. To see if your seeds are still viable when it comes time to sow them, try this trick: moisten an unbleached coffee filter and fold your seeds inside it. Place the filter in a ziplock plastic bag and within three days or so, the viable seeds will germinate.