Don't be too anxious to rush into spring planting this year. Even though our landscapes are disfigured from freeze damage, it's best to wait until spring is really here before we do too much re-planting.

While you're waiting for the weather to warm why not add to your gardening knowledge? On Feb. 9-11 the Master Gardeners will host a booth at the Visalia Home and Patio Show at the Convention Center. Please come by with all your gardening questions, we love to talk plants. We encourage you to plan your visit around our 3 seminars. At 3pm on Friday MG Walter Yamamoto will be demonstrating Indoor Bonsai on a Lava Rock Bed; on Saturday at 1pm MG Debbie Cosio will be delighting us on Bulbs with a Twist; and on Sunday at 1pm Sue Merrill will set us straight on Native Oak Trees and What to Plant Under Their Canopy.

Bareroot plants: There are a couple of exceptions to planting. Bareroot plants are meant to be planted in cold weather. You can still plant artichokes, asparagus, berries, currants, fruit trees, grapes, kiwi, and roses. Don't forget the flowering shrubs and vines, clematis, forsythia, lilac, roses and quince. They may look like dead little twigs now but they will add lots of color and fragrance to your garden. Don't delay; get to your nursery and plant before the leaf and flower buds push out.

Lawns: Crabgrass and spurge weed prevention requires a preemergence herbicide applied before the middle of February to prevent those nasty weeds this summer. Remember; don't apply herbicide where you plan to scatter new lawn seed. If you plan to use a 'weed and feed' product for your lawn, be aware that some can damage tree or shrubs with roots in the lawn. Read the directions and follow them carefully.

Veggies: Anxious for homegrown basil, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant? You can start seeds indoors, placing them in a sunny south facing window. You can plant chard, lettuce, peas and radishes directly into the garden.

Critter Control: Snails are already munching on your tender new foliage, so put out snail bait or handpick. The sooner you get them under control the better. Spray peaches, and walnuts with dormant oil before the buds turn pink or buds start to swell.

There are a couple of reasons to get rid of ants. One is that they are troublesome to us; the other is that they are troublesome to beneficial insects (those good bugs that destroy the bad bugs). Ants like the honeydew that several bad critters like aphid, whitefly, and soft scale insects produce so ants protect the bad bugs and keep the good bugs away. A few simple steps can help prevent ants from infesting your trees, especially citrus and allow the beneficial insects a chance to do their job. Prune branches that touch the ground to prevent access to ants, slugs and snails. Clean the tree with a blast from the hose to wash off leaves and prevent mites. Finally use a sticky ant barrier like 'Tanglefoot' on the trunk.

Chores: Do not prune frost damaged, woody plants until new growth begins in spring. Pruning now could start new growth early which would be vulnerable to any late frosts. Damage may not be as bad as you think; new growth may come from limbs that look dead. In grafted plants if the plant dies all the way to the graft then the new growth will be the root stock, you will either have to regraft or replace the entire plant.

Pruning can still be done on berries, grapes, deciduous fruit trees and roses before spring growth begins. Do not prune camellias, forsythia, lilac, quince and other ornamental spring flowering shrubs or trees until they finish blooming.

Camellias are blooming now, pick up fallen blooms and discard to prevent flower bud infection. Pansies and other winter annuals should be fertilized and pinch the faded flowers to keep them blooming. Cut ornamental grasses now before spring growth arrives.

Houseplants: Feed houseplants once they begin showing signs of new growth. This is also a good time to air layer dracaena, dieffenbachia, and rubber plants, especially if they have grown too tall or leggy. You can also make cuttings about 4-6" long, dip cut end into a rooting hormone and insert in a pot with potting soil, keep moist.

Don't forget Valentines Days, alternatives to that bunch of roses are potted azaleas, cyclamen or cineraria or for something more tropical a Chinese evergreen, peace lily or a bromeliad with its showy flower.

Thea Fiskin is part of the Tulare-Kings Master Gardener Program. Call 582-3211, ext. 2736, e-mail cekingsdavis.edu or write UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, 680 N. Campus Drive, Suite A, Hanford, CA 93230.

(Jan. 31, 2007)