December a good time to plant nut and fruit seed

WEEK 1

To use ornamental grass seed plumes indoors, spray lightly with hairspray first to prevent shattering the fluffy seedhead.

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Gather nandina berries to prevent their multiplying.

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Walter Reeves/Special

Give houseplants an artificial light boost.

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Lenten rose can be pruned or planted this time of year.

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Wild onions are easy to see in lawns now. Control them with a broadleaf weed killer that contains 2,4-D or imazaquin. Read and follow the label exactly.

Nut and fruit seed require 12 weeks of cold, moist conditions in order to sprout in spring. Plant yours outdoors in a sunny bed. Cover with one-inch mesh chicken wire to thwart squirrels.

The only trees that need water now are newly planted evergreens such as magnolia or hemlock. With normal rainfall, five gallons every couple of weeks is sufficient.

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WEEK 2

The best way to keep a dogwood healthy is to mulch out to the branch tips. Remove grass growing underneath and use fall leaves you rake off your lawn.

Piles of leaves are slow to decompose in winter. Speed up the process by scattering a pint of 10-10-10 over a pile four feet high and four feet wide.

Prune azaleas and hydrangeas minimally if needed, during the winter. Flower buds growing on the branch tips will be removed.

Use the red berries of nandina for holiday decorations but remove all of them from the shrub. Otherwise, unwanted seedlings will sprout profusely underneath.

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WEEK 3

Houseplants often suffer from low light indoors in winter. Supplement sunlight with a fluorescent bulb emitting at least 1,200 lumens for 16 hours per day placed six inches from the foliage.

Check rain barrels to be sure they are not overflowing water close to your home’s foundation.

Holiday topiaries are attractive but difficult to water. Place yours in the shower and let water dribble onto it for an hour. It won’t need watering again for a week or two.

There’s still time to plant daffodils, tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs. Their blooms may be delayed by a week or two in spring, but this is usually not a problem.

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WEEK 4

Prune blackened leaves from Lenten rose. Better yet, plant a few more. This tough, drought-proof, deer-proof and evergreen groundcover remains underappreciated, in my opinion.

Enjoy the blooms of Christmas cactus, but keep the plant away from furnace vents. Warm air on the buds and flowers makes them short lived.

Trees and shrubs can still be planted. Be sure to mix a two-inch layer of soil conditioner into any planting bed. Mulch with chips or straw afterwards.

Tie down any floppy canes of climbing roses. This prevents bruising flower and leaf buds along the stem.