Photos this page by Pamela Cohen
fall and early winter when they are
dormant
•• Divide ferns. Fall and winter are the
best times to divide ferns
•• Plant palms. Palms can be planted in
the fall through spring.
•• Plant vines, ivy, and ground covers.
For the most part, these plants are
best planted in the late fall. They
should be well watered and not
allowed to dry out.
•• Prune. Lightly prune your
hydrangeas, oleanders, climbing
roses, and cut back summer annuals
in beds and hanging baskets. Summer
annuals should be replaced by fall
bedding plants (see above) in October
or November for cool weather color.
•• Fertilize. Use prescribed amounts to
fertilize your annuals, roses, and fall
bedding plants
•• General gardening chores. Water
regularly, check for diseases and
insects, store dug-up bulbs in a cool,
dry place, divide perennials and
replant, spray to prevent tea scale on
ornamentals, and cover tender plants
if there is a danger of freezing.
•• Mulch camellias, roses, and azaleas
using pine needles, pine bark or oak
leaves
Winter—Particularly
January and February
•• This is a good time to reflect on
your successes and failures of the
past gardening year. You can get
your soil tested by the Clemson
Extension Service. Doing this will
help you to choose the proper flora
and understand where to plant your
spring garden. Such an evaluation
will help you prepare your garden
with the necessary additives for the
upcoming season.
•• Plant or transplant trees and shrubs,
roses, bulbs, herbs and cool weather
vegetables. Separate perennials.
•• Prune. This is the time to prune dead
or diseased tree limbs, dead wood on
roses, dead wood on shrubs but not
new emerging growth that will be
coming forth with spring flowers. Cut
back ornamental grasses.
•• Fertilize. Sprinkle fertilizer on
established beds of bulbs, perennials,
azaleas, camellias, trees, and lawns.
If you fertilize your lawn, you should
not need to fertilize your trees.
•• General gardening chores. Continue
to water as needed; spray for
leaf diseases before flowers open
(especially for roses and azaleas);
weed if necessary, and mulch.
•• These steps should get you through
the winter. See you again in the
spring for recommendations for
your spring and summer gardening
here at Kiawah. In the meantime,
enjoy our beautiful Island and don’t
begrudge the deer their snacks once
in a while. NK
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