During these short, cold, wet days, a gardener might need to find inspiration indoors. This is the perfect time to plan a spring garden and start seeds indoors. There is something about the simple, small miracle of tiny seedlings popping from the soil that puts the world right for many gardeners. Seed starting allows you to grow many annual flowers and vegetables that may not be available from local plant growers, as well as get a jump-start on the coming season.

When planning your garden and purchasing seeds, keep in mind that the seeds of some plants are best sown directly outdoors when the weather warms up. As a general rule these are root crops such as carrots, radishes and parsnips. Flowers that are difficult to transplant, and thus prefer to be direct seeded include: larkspur, lupine, sweet pea and cornflower. Seed packets contain a great deal of information, and should indicate growing requirements such as light, temperature and seed depth. Some seeds have hard outer coats and will need to be nicked or soaked to ensure germination. Pay attention to germination lengths, as you do no want to start your seedlings too far in advance of the frost-free date in your area. In the north valley, the frost-free date is around April 15. At higher elevations, the frost-free date is later.

Give some thought to the area in which you will start your seeds, as they will need water and moderate temperatures. A bright window with indirect sun is a simple and appropriate place to keep your seeds warm and provide them light and water. Artificial light and heat can be provided if your space is less than optimal. Seed starting kits with trays and plastic domes are readily available and maintain a warm, moist environment to provide ideal conditions for flower, vegetable and herb germination.

It is not the air temperature, but the soil temperature that controls seed germination. Seedling heat mats, such as the Seedling Heat Mat by HydroFarm, will heat your soil ten to twenty degrees above ambient air temperature. Generally, soil temperature should be around 70 degrees, but this is a time when you want to check seed packets for exact information. In many cases germination can take place in cooler soil temperatures, but the process will take longer.

Containers for sowing seeds should be clean, strong and conveniently fit into your indoor growing place. Plastic trays or pots, peat pots and compressed peat pellets that expand upon watering, are all acceptable containers for sowing seeds. Seeds will start in anything that has drainage holes and at least two inches of soil depth.

The secret to healthy seedlings is to use the correct soil mix. Gardeners should purchase a sterilized seed-starting mix at their independently owned and operated garden center. These soils are sterilized to prevent disease to your sensitive seedlings. Seed starting soils also have Vermiculite and/or Perlite mixed with standard potting soil for optimal drainage and moisture retention.

Damping off is a fungus that kills seedlings. High temperature, poor light or excess moisture can stimulate the spread of disease by weakening the plants and making them more susceptible. Using sterile soil and cleaning your tools and reused containers will help avoid this problem.

Once your seeds have geminated, a bright south window will provide necessary sunlight. Most annual plants and vegetables prefer night temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees. Now is the time to take off any plastic covers, as the infant seedlings will need good air circulation. Seedlings should be kept moist but not wet. Take care when watering your seedlings so as not to drown or disrupt them. Trays filled with water, placed underneath under the seedlings work well, as they direct moisture to the root zone of the tiny plants.

As soon as your seedlings are large enough to handle, (they should have at least one set of true leaves), they should be transplanted into individual pots or thinned to avoid crowding and aid in proper development. Carefully dig up small plants and let the group of seedlings fall apart. Handle them by their leaves, as delicate stems can break. Take care to not damage the fragile roots. Replant the seedlings at the same depth they were originally growing. Firm the soil around each seedling and water gently.

Seedlings that have been growing indoors need to be hardened-off before planting outdoors. Two weeks before planting in the garden, begin the process of acclimating the plants to the outdoors. Set the plants outside for a few hours each day, starting in the shade, and gradually increasing the amount of time and exposure to the elements. Pick a cloudy day to plant your seedlings outdoors. Take care to keep the ground moist. A windy day can quickly dry out soil and tiny root hairs.

Seed starting can be a fun and rewarding hobby - great for individuals, children and families alike. It can take you out of the winter doldrums and focus your attention on the warmer, prettier days ahead. Plants started indoors flower sooner and produce a harvest earlier. Just one word of caution: seed starting has such benefits that it can become addicting.

The window to buy and plant bare-root roses is dependant on weather and temperature. Whether you buy bare-root or potted, it is best to get your roses in the ground quickly. Use a good starter fertilizer and high quality planting mix to get your plants established well before Mother’s Day.

There are roses for every landscape situation and the classification of each rose type will give you a clue as to its usefulness. If you are looking for simple old fashioned charm, an Old Garden Rose will suit you well. Sometimes sold as Antique or English, these roses have wonderful fragrance. Old fashioned roses occur naturally in nature and will grow from seed or cutting. This means they are hardy, easy to grow plants. Roses such as Damask, China and Teas, generally fall into this category. From shrub to climbing, these tried and true roses will give much to your landscape.

Other easy care roses are Landscape or Hedge Roses. They are adaptable to many soils, and bloom spring through fall. They are great along property lines or as hedges. Carpet or Groundcover Roses belong in this easy care category as well. They grow two to three feet high, with a vigorous spread.

For a dramatic lift, Climbing Roses are massive plants with arching canes that can be trained along fences or walls. They have been hybridized from the old fashioned climbers and will bear bigger, more modern blooms.

To bring a mass display of color into your landscape, Floribundas offer prolific sprays or clusters of bloom on a shorter shrub. Many grow upright and make a great choice for the border. Polyantha are similar to Floribundas with large clusters of smaller blooms and can be used as edgings and hedges. Floribundas bloom spring until frost.

If you are looking for cut flowers, drama or have a formal garden, nothing says rose like a Hybrid Tea. This bush produces a single large flower on top of one long stem. Grandiflora Roses are similar to Hybrid Teas, but they bloom in clusters rather than one per stem. Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras are the two most popular types of roses. These roses make excellent cut flowers; many have wonderful fragrances, awesome color and enticing names. They bloom in six to seven week cycles. Many of these are trained into tree roses.

Miniature Roses are wonderful for any landscape and they are a great solution for the small, or mostly container garden. Growing no taller than two feet, these roses offer you everything the large shrubs do, in a compact, hardy plant. They are precious in miniature vases and as dried flowers. They are excellent in flower beds, especially effective in rock gardens.

Many of the modern roses are grafted; a root stock is merged with the upper flower-producing stock to provide a sturdy disease resistant plant. Grafted roses are sold based upon American Nursery Standards grades 1, 1&1/2, and 2. Grade 1 plants have three or more canes that are about 3/4 of an inch in diameter and have no more than 3 to 4 inches between the graft union and the top of the roots. They also have a large, well-developed root system. Grade 1 plants must be two years old when harvested. These premium roses have a much better chance at thriving and are worth the extra price. Your locally-owned-and-operated garden center should carry Grade 1 roses, but be sure to check before you buy.

This is also the time of year when you will find rose care and pruning classes offered for your education. Your local independently owned nursery may hold such classes. Link to our schedule of Rose Pruning Classes, taught by Dean and Barbara Davis of the Shasta Rose Society. Local rose societies are always helpful and enthusiastic. There are also a myriad of books and websites providing information to help you take the best care of the roses you purchase.

Dormant sprays should be applied to those plants which have shown signs of infestation or disease throughout the year. These solutions coat the exposed organisms, cutting off their oxygen supply to suffocate these parasites. Applying these products to your plants will help control various ailments which can harm your plants once the weather grows warm again. Horticultural oil alone will be effective for insects. Coppers and sulfurs are added to horticulture oil, or an alternative Potassium resin, for treatment of diseases. Copper products are more effective in cold winter areas, especially on fruit trees, for the control of fungi such as peach leaf curl, while lime sulfur products perform better in warm winter areas, such as Southern California.

For pest control, such as aphids, whitefly, spider mites, scale and mealy bug, your plants should be sprayed with horticultural oil once a year in December. Thorough coverage, including the undersides of leaves, is necessary since the product must come in contact with the scales and eggs to be effective.

To treat diseases including black spot, peach leaf curl and blight, it is most effective to spray dormant plants three times: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. This ensures adequate coverage for stubborn afflictions. Multiple applications will also guard against sudden temperature fluctuations or unexpected rain which accelerate break down of the product.

Products should come clearly labeled, usually with a booklet taped on the package. Ensure the product bottle has these instructions with a list of plants the product is intended for. The product you select should be appropriate for each plant that you intend to spray. Mix only what you can use as you cannot save the solution for later use. Some horticulture sprays are used year round in other climates, but that is not the case in our hot summers because the treatment may burn your foliage. Check with your locally owned and operated garden center for appropriate warm weather products.

Spraying should be done on a clear, still day, when the temperature is between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Apply dormant sprays with a hose-end or pump sprayer. It is important to mix products according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Follow all safety instructions such as protective clothing, eyewear and product disposal. Protect decorative surfaces, patios or tender plants from product drift and overspray.

Spray your plants staring from the top, until the solution just starts to drip off the branches. Some pests, such as borers, abandon trees to over-winter in the earth. In these cases it is important to treat the surrounding ground. If you are treating roses, spray the soil around the base of the plant for control of powdery mildew or black spot.

For extra help with dormant spraying there are products that enhance application. Master Nursery Spray Grip mixes in with the dormant solution to help it adhere to branches. Monterey Signal is a colorant to be mixed with sprays so you can see where it has been applied. A list of dormant spray products follows.

Lilly Miller Dormant Spray for Insects is a traditional, time-tested product which contains highly refined horticultural oil. This product comes in a hose-end spray applicator. Simply attach to garden hose. For best results, completely cover all twigs, branches and trunk with spray. Controls insects and smothers pests and their eggs.

Lilly Miller Microcop with Sta-Stuk is a fixed copper spray for use in place of Bordeaux (a mixture of copper sulfate, hydrated lime, and water). Use this product for disease prevention on fruit and nut trees, vegetables, shrubs, and vines.
Sta-Stuk is a potassium resin which adheres product to trees and shrubs through all kinds of weather and extends the effective life of Lilly Miller Microcop by resisting the washing effects of rains.

Lilly Miller Polysul Summer and Dormant Spray is a lime sulfur fungicide. Lime sulfur is effective for treatment of mites, rust and powdery mildew on roses. Though this product is not horticulture oil, prevent burning your plants by applying in cool weather.

Lilly Miller Superior Type Spray Oil contains highly refined horticultural oil which will smother pests and their eggs. A traditional, time-tested product, Superior Type Spray Oil may be combined with Lilly Miller Polysul Summer & Dormant Spray for use as a dormant combination spray.

Master Nursery Pest Fighter Year-Round Spray Oil is an all-natural, fine grade horticultural oil for insect control on fruit trees, vegetables, houseplants, and ornamentals. Pest Fighter Spray Oil is a paraffin oil-based product for fungus control which uses no synthetic chemicals. (Year round use of horticulture oil is not recommended in this area.)

Monterey Saf-T-Side is a petroleum-based insecticidal oil for insect control in citrus, tree and vine crops, ornamentals and vegetable crops. Saf-T-Side is effective as a dormant spray, with no temperature restrictions. It can be used alone or in combination with other insecticides.

Monterey Liqui-Cop Fungicide is a liquid copper fungicide spray for disease prevention on fruit trees, nut crops, citrus, vegetables and ornamentals. Liqui-Cop is an economical replacement for Bordeaux (a mixture of copper sulfate, hydrated lime, and water) with an expanded label. Liqui-Cop is extremely weatherproof and does not require oil or a sticker. Use as a replacement for lime sulfur. Liqui-Cop can be mixed with oils for use as a dormant spray on fruit trees.

Neem Oil is a broad spectrum insecticide, fungicide, and miticide that controls insects and mites including whitefly, aphid and scale. Neem Oil is good for indoor/outdoor use on ornamental plants, flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs and fruit & nut crops.

Master Nursery Spray Grip helps all herbicides, insecticides and dormant products adhere to plants. Spray Grip is not recommended for use with fungicides.

NOTE: Superior Type Spray Oil (Volk) can be used in combination with Polysul or Liquicop to create an effective all-in-one application.

Evergreen conifers are a landscape classic, used for their seasonal consistency to add structure to your garden. Conifers work to compliment deciduous trees as a backdrop to the change of seasons.

Conifers are usually evergreen, with needle-like leaves and almost always bear cones. Evergreen conifers now come in a wide selection of variety and form for every garden situation: miniatures, dwarf, ground-cover, and giants. Conifer shapes range from upright and conical, flat to mounding, weeping and contorted. This versatility makes them useful in every landscaping situation.

Dwarf and contorted conifers make excellent specimen trees. A globular Mugo pine will add mass to a rock garden, brightening the colors of alpine plants without overpowering its sense of scale. A Weeping Spruce would add a dramatic and graceful centerpiece to any landscape. If you would like to catch the eye with a touch of whimsy consider the twist of a Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar. It can be trained as a serpentine center piece or espaliered to drip off a fence.

Juniper is a tough, dependable conifer with varieties that make good selections for hedges, as they are comparatively low growing. Choose a variety that grows from four to ten feet rather than one that will provide instant height now, only to grow into problems later. Several varieties of Chinese Junipers fall into this category.

A row of tall, dense growing spruce or pine will make a more effective windbreak than a wall or fence. The wind will sheer over a solid structure while the branches of trees will dissipate it. Stately rows of Italian Cypress or Thuja Emerald Giant will create a skyline in your landscape and/or distract from unwanted views and noise. If you would like a mountain feel, try a small grove of Deodar Cedar or Redwoods on your property.

There are hundreds of species of conifers, including pine, spruce, cedar, larch, cypress, fir, yew and juniper; so it is important to select varieties appropriate to climate, care and especially growth habit. Your locally owned and operated garden center will offer valuable advice as you make your selections. Your county extension office can advise you as well. The American Conifer Society has an excellent website (www.conifersociety.org) with a variety of photo’s, topics and forums.

With their many valuable design uses, it’s no wonder this classic is enjoying a renaissance. Visit Red Bluff Garden Center this winter and see what the excitement is all about.