Winter Beauty

One of the wonders of the Internet is that you can see nature even when you don't feel like being outside. A site featuring the beauty of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, Ozark Light has the photos of Randy Wilson. A must see.

After you enjoy the photos, click on the Links link to browse more.

Horticulture students at Connors State College in Warner, OK, grew poinsettias as a fund raiser. The plants are selling for only $8. Call to be sure they have what you want before you go - 463-6265.

"The Horticulture students and student workers have grown a beautiful crop of poinsettias this year. We have red, burgundy, white/pink, and white. They are $8.00 each. Cash or checks." And, you get to help a student in the process: win-win.

ASLA dot org, 2007 Master Gardeners Conference in Little Rock

CHECK IT OUT

If you have any interest at all in public spaces and landscape architecture, do yourself a favor and subscribe to a smart blog at http://www.asla.org/land/dirt/blog/ where you can sign up to receive an email notice when something new is posted.

Operated by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the blog currently has articles about the walkability of communities, solar powered public art in Washington D.C., an art show in Florence, green roofs, the importance of parks and a tribute to Mrs. Johnson.

I have never seen an article at the site that was dull, uninteresting or blah.

Photo: Ice plant in a rock garden,

2007 MASTER GARDENERS CONFERENCE IN LITTLE ROCK

Whether or not you were available to attend the conference, many of the presentations are available on line right now for a limited time. (They are taking them down in a couple of months.)

Go to the Arkansas Master Gardener's website to view 46-educational, informative and amusing presentations. The conference was wonderful - well organized, user friendly, lots of events and educational programs.

We, in Oklahoma, are very impressed with the Arkansas Master Gardener Program - Janet Carson is a star. Carson works diligently for the University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service and I hope they know how good they have it there!

Japonica Pruning

Nasturtium bud and fading flower in today's garden.

A reader asked, "When is the best time to to prune a Japonica?"

I did a quick internet search and found at least a dozen plants with Japonica in their name, including: Japonica Lonicera - Japanese Honeysuckle, Flowering Quince Japonica, Cryptotaenia Japonica, Euonymous Japonica and Caradina Japonica. Fatsia Japonica is commonly known as aralia. The common names for Spirea Japonica is Japanese Spirea.

So, the answer is, "It depends on which plant you have."

Here is the shorthand answer - Many spring blooming shrubs and vines are pruned just after flowering so they can make the flower buds for next year on the wood they grow this summer. Other spring flowering plants are pruned in the late winter.

If your Japonica is a Honeysuckle, prune it late winter because they bloom on new growth. If it is the Spirea Japonica, prune it next February according to The Missouri Botanical Garden's home gardening site.

Pruning can be a confusing topic. For example, Butterfly Bushes (Budlia) are pruned depending on their variety, confusing gardeners even more. According to the Tulsa Master Gardeners website, Budlia alternifolia blooms on the previous season's wood (so cut after flowering) and Budlia davidii blooms on new wood so it is cut to the ground in spring before flowering.

Could your Japonica be a flowering Quince with pink to red flowers in the spring? Its Latin name is Chaenomeles speciosa. The University of Arkansas Extension Service has an online pruning guide that recommends pruning flowering quince immediately after blooming. See page 4 at that link for a list of shrubs and when to prune them.

No matter which plant you have, pruning dead, diseased and damaged growth can be done at any time. Up to one-third of any shrub can be removed for shaping purposes. If you decide to remove entire branches of a shrub, cut out a few of the largest and oldest first, leaving the youngest branches in tact. Stand back and look, then cut more.

If this does not help, can you describe the plant? Maybe I can help identify it. Is your Japonica a shrub or a vine? When does it flower and what do the flowers look like? Once we know more about it, the advice can be more specific.