The beginning of a new year, with the promise of a new growing season to come, is a good time to make some gardening resolutions.
“It’s an opportunity to reflect and plan,” said Julie Janoski, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “Deciding on a few simple changes can bring you a more beautiful and satisfying garden that contributes to a better environment.”
Here are suggestions from Janoski and Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at the Arboretum, for some things you might resolve to do in this gardening year.
Recycle your Christmas tree. “Check with your local government for local recycling programs that will chip up trees to become mulch and compost,” Yiesla said. Or cut branches from your tree to lay over perennial beds, where they’ll prevent plants from sprouting too early in winter warm spells.
Keep organic matter in your garden. “Don’t think of trimmings, clippings and fallen leaves as waste to be disposed of,” Janoski said. “Instead, think of them as valuable organic matter and find a use for them as compost or mulch.” Be inventive: Branches from pruning can become plant stakes. “Making use of plant matter in your garden saves the energy that would be spent on waste disposal and returns valuable nutrients to your own soil and plants,” she said.
Start a compost pile. Create a place where plant matter can partially decay to become a useful soil amendment. “You can use a bin or a simple pile,” Yiesla said.
Survey your garden for invasive plants. Many common ornamental plants, such as Japanese barberry and burning bush, create serious environmental problems in natural areas outside your garden. Check the lists of the Midwest Invasive Plant Network (mipn.org
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) to see if you have invasive plants in your garden, and make plans to remove them and replace them with noninvasive alternatives.Sharpen your tools. “Sharp tools are easier to use and make cleaner cuts that are healthier for plants,” Yiesla said. Winter is a good time to learn how to sharpen your tools — not just pruners and loppers, but shovels and hoes.
Take notes this year. “Find some way to keep a record of what you plant, what bloomed when, what worked and what didn’t, and what you’d like to try next year,” Janoski said. Choose a format that suits you: in a paper notebook or journal, an online calendar, or a note-taking app on your phone. “Take lots of photos too,” Janoski said. “Your garden changes constantly, and pictures will be useful memory aids.”
Identify pests before taking any action. Make it a rule to clearly identify any pest or disease that may appear this year before you use an insecticide, fungicide or herbicide. Experts such as the Arboretum’s Plant Clinic can help. “There may be a way to deal with a problem that doesn’t require chemicals,” Yiesla said. “And unless you use exactly the right control method for a particular problem, the effort may be totally useless.”
Research plants before you buy. “Doing some homework can save you a lot of trouble down the road,” Janoski said. “There are so many different kinds of plants to choose from, and what’s on sale or what’s in bloom at the garden center may not actually be a good fit for you and your garden.” Investing time in research is especially important for long-lived plants such as trees and shrubs that are bought and planted when they are not yet at full size. “You really need to be sure that the plant will be appropriate in five or 10 years, when it has grown,” she said.
Watch the weather, not the calendar. “Our climate is changing, and the gardening year doesn’t follow the same patterns it used to,” Yiesla said. “We can’t garden according to the assumptions or the dates we used to follow.” Pay attention to forecasts and to the weather that happens in your own neighborhood as you decide when to plant, water and make other garden moves.
For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or [email protected]). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.