Mid January in the Miss-Lou landscape reveals the natural contrast of the bare deciduous trees and lush southern evergreens that make even the bleakest day so beautiful. Elegant trunks and branches of crape myrtle stand out gracefully against the steel blue winter sky. Camellia japonica is beginning to color the landscape with marvelous hues as the C. sasanqua finishes flowering for this season.

In my back yard, succulent bright green foliage of the Sedum acre planted beneath and in front of nandina is a marvelous combination. Cardinals that frequent the cherry laurels above are absolutely striking against the trees rich dark leaves. The similarity in the birds coloring and the red berries of the nandina is amazing. These are two stunning touches of red that my winter garden will hopefully never be without.

Chickweed is now the biggest nuisance in my garden, replacing the pigweed of summer.

While weeding, I am able to truly enjoy the wonders of the winter garden in the south and be thankful.

Even after several freezes and sleet on Sunday, I still have roses flowering. The best part of being a southern gardener is that we can cultivate the earth all year.

Sunny days are a great time to get out into the yard and play. Liriope in need of a trim should be cut back this month while it is dormant. If you wait until new shoots emerge in the next few weeks, you might as well wait until this time next year.

Depending on the weather, new growth could appear as soon as the end of the month.

Cutting off fresh growth tips on the foliage will leave your liriope looking ragged throughout the entire year. Once new leaves are tipped by clippers or a string trimmer, those cuts will brown and remain that way.

Knowing that January is the proper time to prune liriope is very important. Although there are 11 other months during the year, mid to late January is the best time to safely prune liriope without the risk of injuring new or existing growth.

One way to remember the timing of this landscape project is to use the calendar. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the following two weeks is the ideal time to cut back liriope. Eventually, the mention of this important date will automatically remind you of trimming liriope and just how lovely it is all year when it’s pruned at the right time.

Do you have to trim liriope every year? Absolutely not. Healthy green foliage should remain as such without the drastic measure of cutting it back right now. Trimming off old growth is purely a matter of necessity some years for aesthetic and rejuvenation purposes. Ideally, liriope should rarely need such treatment.

Either way, an application of a slow release fertilizer now will make nutrients available for feeder roots to take up and distribute through the plants just as the new growth begins. In return, you will have lovely leaves and stunning blue blossoms this year.

E-mail

Traci Maier

at

ratmaier@bellsouth.net

.