KEEP TROPICALS IN PLACE: Avoid transplanting tropical plants growing in the ground until next spring. Moving them now will reduce their vigor and lower their chances of surviving the winter.
TIMELY HERBS: Herbs to plant now include borage, celery, chervil, cilantro/coriander, dill, fennel, parsley, bay, scented geraniums, beebalm, burnet, catnip, chives, garlic chives, horseradish, lemon balm, Mexican tarragon, mints, oregano, pennyroyal, rosemary, sage, sorrel, marjoram, thyme, winter savory, French tarragon, feverfew, lavender and chamomile.
HOPE FOR MORE: Cut back chrysanthemums after they finish flowering to remove the faded flowers. Sometimes the plants will set a new crop of flower buds and produce more flowers during the winter.
SALAD DAYS: Leaf and semi-heading lettuce cultivars are easy to grow in vegetable gardens now. The heading lettuce varieties are less successful. Leaf or semi-heading lettuces to try include romaine, buttercrunch, bibb, oak leaf and others.
OUT WITH THE OLD: Don’t worry about those leaves turning yellow, orange or red and dropping from broad-leaved evergreens such as gardenia, hibiscus, magnolia, azalea, cherry laurel, Indian hawthorn and others. Many of these plants shed old leaves in the fall and many will lose some more this spring. The loss of old leaves is natural and no need for concern.
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