By Tamara Galbraith

Drumroll please....the Perennial Plant of 2007 has been selected and it's Nepeta 'Walker’s Low,' aka catmint.

Introduced in 1988 in Europe, 'Walker’s Low' catmint has become increasingly popular with each passing year due to its lovely blue-violet flowers and its long bloom time, attractive grey-green foliage, ease of propagation, lack of pest or disease problems, and low maintenance requirements.

The Perennial Plant Association passed along these details about 'Walker's Low':
• Hardiness - USDA Zones 3 to 8
• Size - 30 to 36 inches tall and wide.
• Light - Best in full sun, but can tolerate shade in hot climates
• Soil - Prefers well drained soil and neutral pH
• Uses - Good companion plant for early and late blooming plants. Great for perennial borders, but can be used in herb gardens, rock gardens, as a ground cover, or as a container plant.
• Unique Qualities - Will bloom continuously throughout the season if properly pruned. Great for attracting bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects, but is deer and rabbit resistant. Leaves release a wonderful aroma when crushed.

Your kitty may not go as crazy for 'Walker's Low' as he would for catnip (a close relative of catmint), but you'll certainly love it!

Keeping your houseplants healthy during winter months may seem difficult. Light from windows is reduced, days are shorter and humidity may be lower due to heating. But by making a few changes, you can help keep your houseplants healthy.

Keeping things light

In winter, your plants receive sunlight for less time and in less intensity. Houseplants native to rainforests that are used to lower light will be fine with that, but most plants need more light. Try to move your plants near a brighter window (S/SW exposure) to get them more sunlight.

If you have no brighter windows (due to shade trees or apartment living), you might want to consider the purchase of plant lamps that are designed to provide the full spectrum light your plants need. They can be mounted under shelves over plants or on specially-designed plant stands. Leave them on about eight hours a day, and they'll give your plants the light they need.

You can also use cool fluorescent bulbs as close as 6 inches from the top of plants.

Temperature

Most plants do not do well when subjected to rapid fluctuations in temperature. Keep them away from hot air sources and cold drafts alike. Run ceiling fans on low if the house is closed up. Fans break up stagnant air; that's healthier for both you and your plants.

Humidity

Some symptoms of low humidity are brown leaf tips and wilting. Low humidity makes your plants work harder to get moisture from the air and soil, as well as keep what they have inside.

One way to give your plants some extra humidity is to mist them two or three times a day. The water will evaporate off the leaves and provide a cloud of higher humidity around the plant. For a less labor-intensive method, put a layer of pebbles in the bottom of a tray and fill the tray with just enough water to cover the bottom of the tray (below the top of the pebbles). Place potted plants in the tray.

Other

Fertilizing should be done less often for most plants in winter.

Give your plants a good washing. Dirt, dust, grease, and other particles can settle on leaves. Dirty leaves can't absorb as much sunlight as clean ones. Gently wipe clean the leaves with a soft sponge or cloth dipped in plain water. Sturdier plants can even be given a quick shower in the bathroom with tepid water.

by Tamara Galbraith

So, it's the middle of winter and temperatures have risen to a balmy level. As a gardener, you're itching to get out and work in the yard. But what's to do this time of year?

Turn to your trees and shrubs - they could probably use some attention while they rest comfortably in winter dormancy. Here are some winter pruning pointers:

Non-flowering hardwood trees and shrubs should be pruned at this time of year to improve the plant's structure. Making cuts in the dormant season also reduces the chance of transmitting disease, discourages excessive sap flow and avoids the problem of possible pest infestation. Conifers can be trimmed any time, but are best pruned during the dormant season, as sap and resin flow are minimized from the cut branches.

Flowering trees and shrubs, with a few exceptions, should also be pruned during the dormant season for the same reasons stated above. However, do NOT yet prune trees and shrubs that flower in early spring — you'll be cutting off the buds that will open in a few months. Spring-flowering trees and shrubs should instead be pruned immediately after flowering. A good rule of thumb is that you should prune in the season opposite of flowering, i.e. flower in spring = prune in fall, and flower in summer = prune in winter.

Ornamental grasses that die during the winter should be given a 'flat-top haircut' about 3"-4" above ground at the end of winter, before new growth starts to emerge. Evergreen grasses should be left alone.

Of course, dead branches and canes can be removed any time of the year, especially those obviously suffering from insect and/or disease damage. If you suspect disease, be sure to disinfect your pruning tools with a germ-killing spray like Lysol before and after cutting plants. Do not put diseased or insect-infested cuttings in your compost pile.

by Tamara Galbraith

On a recent trip to Belize with my wonderful husband, I was awestruck by a large, unusual plant that was thriving in the sandy front yards of several Ambergris Caye beach homes: Senecio repens, an upright, shrubby succulent that hails from South Africa.

While I'm not entirely unfamiliar with this plant - it is currently being tested for Texas Superstar(tm) status in the Texas A&M University Research & Extension Center - I was certainly impressed by its potential.

Also also known as Senecio serpens or Kleinia repens, this attractive, soft-to-the-touch plant can commonly be found in two varieties: the blue-gray 'Kilimanjaro' and the green aloe-like 'Himalaya.' It is incredibly easy to propagate from cuttings, and should be grown in a sandy soil of the sort that cactuses like. A natural as a houseplant, it looks lovely and does great in a terra cotta pot by a sunny window.

If your outside temperatures stay between 25-98 degrees F year round, Senecio repens can be grown in the landscape; just make sure the soil is slightly moist but well-draining. While they are drought-tolerant and can be vigorous in the right climate, these plants apparently do not like consistent triple-digits; some gardeners in Phoenix have reported difficulty keeping these senecios alive during the exceptionally hot, dry summers there.

By Tamara Galbraith

So, December has passed and your once-fresh holiday tree has gone from Christmas to crispness. No matter. When you're ready to take down the decorations, explore all your options of how to reuse or recycle a cut Christmas tree.

Many communities across the country offer a recycling program, whereby trees are collected and ground up into mulch for municipal use. Areas with lots of manmade lakes will sometimes collect and sink old trees into waterways to slow erosion. Check with your local city government or county Extension Office to see if such a tree collection program is in place.

Also, if you have the space and don't mind "the natural look" in your landscape, lay your an old tree in a remote corner of your yard; it makes a great hiding and nesting place for birds, rabbits and other small creatures.

In either case, just be sure all non-natural decorations, like tinsel and ornament hooks, have been removed. While sparkly mulch might have an interesting look, it's not very good for the environment.

"I love my job and enjoy working with the customers and my fun co-workers. They always make my day interesting."

Reneé will graduate from Yucaipa High School in 2008 and plans to continue her education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Her goal is to become an architect and interior designer. Reneé is a native Californian, born in Redlands. She shares her life with two sets of parents and a younger brother.

1. Purchase and plant bare-root roses, trees, vines, berries and vegetables
2. Choose and plant camellias and azaleas
3. Purchase cymbidiums
4. Purchase and plant cool-season flowers to fill in bare spots
5. Plant seeds of warm-season flowers for transplants to put out in spring
6. Continue to plant winter vegetables from transplants and seeds
7. Many succulents, including cacti, bloom in winter and spring; purchase new types now
8. Prune deciduous fruit trees
9. Prune roses
10. Deadhead azaleas
11. Mow cool-season lawns. Most warm-season lawns are dormant now and don't need mowing
12. Begin to feed citrus trees in coastal zones
13. Treat citrus trees for chlorosis
14. Start feeding epiphyllums for bloom with
0-10-10 or 2-10-10
15. Continue to fertilize cymbidiums that have not yet bloomed with a high-bloom formula
16. Feed cool-season flowers
17. Feed cineraria
18. Fertilize cool-season lawns
19. Water plants according to need (when the rains are not adequate).
20. Irrigate citrus trees
21. Remember to water plants under eaves where the rains cannot reach
22. Dormant spray roses and deciduous fruit trees
23. Dormant spray sycamore trees
24. Check citrus trees for pests
25. Pick up dead camellia blossoms to prevent petal blight
26. Protect cymbidiums from slugs and snails
27. Control rust on cool-season lawns
28. Check trees, shrubs, and ice plant in coastal zones for overwintering whiteflies. Control by spraying
29. Pull weeds
30. Spray peach and apricot for peach leaf curl
31. Protect tender plants from frost
32. Stake cymbidium bloom spikes
33. Near the end of the month check bamboo in coastal zones to see if it is time to propagate