Selecting Bare-root Trees

January to early spring is bare-root season for ornamental trees and fruit trees. The plants have been dug from growing fields and shipped with their roots free of soil to nurseries around the country. Some are individually packaged with their roots packed in moist wood shavings and wrapped in plastic. Others are shipped to nurseries in bundles where they are sold out of bins filled with moist sawdust or shavings.

Buying bare root is one of the least expensive ways to purchase trees, but you should select carefully. The trunks should be straight without dramatic curves or bends. If there are branches (some trees won't be branched), they should be evenly spaced along the entire trunk and should radiate in all directions. The trunk should be free of wounds. If you can examine the roots, the more the better. They also should radiate in all directions, and be firm and moist, not soft and mushy. If the roots are packaged, the packing should be moist and heavy, not dry and lightweight.

When planting make sure your ornamental trees and fruit trees get off to a strong start by using Bayer Advanced™ Tree and Shrub Planting Mix Ready-To-Use (product discontinued). To protect your new ornamental trees and some fruit trees (apple, crabapple, loquat, mayhaw, pear, pecan and quince) from insects, make sure to use Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate. One application protects trees for up to 12 months.

Prune to Enhance Plant Shape

Pruning is often called an art, and to a certain extent that's true. Done properly, pruning can dramatically enhance the health and appearance of most trees and shrubs. Done improperly, pruning can destroy a plant's natural beauty and, in some cases, weaken the plant structurally.

At the heart of good pruning is making the right kind of cut. There are basically two types of pruning cuts: thinning and heading. Thinning cuts remove branches at their origin where they join another, usually a larger branch or limb. Thinning cuts open the interior of the plant, removing crisscrossing or crowded limbs, and enhancing the plant's natural shape and beauty. Japanese maples and dogwoods are two small trees whose appearance can be improved dramatically by proper thinning.

Heading cuts are made along the length of a branch. They result in vigorous growth immediately below the cut, making a plant denser. Although heading can be useful when pruning shrubs into hedges, in most cases heading a plant ruins its natural shape and should not be done. In the case of trees, heading also weakens the plant structurally and can create dangerous situations.

The timing of pruning is especially important for blooming shrubs to ensure the best flowering. For more information on how to properly prune and maintain your landscape plants, visit International Society of Arboriculture at www.isa-arbor.com.

Problems with Pansies

Pansies and their close relatives, violas, are one of the most reliable cool-season flowers. In mild-winter climates, they bloom in glorious colors from fall through spring and can be planted almost anytime in between in colder areas. They are the foundation of spring and fall annual flower gardens. As easy as they usually are, one malady does confound many gardeners and that's when, for some unexplained reason, the plants suddenly collapse and die.

This sudden collapse can be caused by a number of factors. Often, the plants have been set too deep in the ground, causing them to rot at the base of the stem. So make sure to plant slightly on the high side. Some pests, including earwigs, slugs and snails, can also feed at the base of the stem, causing plants to collapse. Use a flashlight to check for these pests at night. Control earwigs with Bayer Advanced™ PowerForce® Multi-Insect Killer Granules. Take care of snails and slugs with Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Snail and Slug Killer Bait Granules.

If none of these actions saves your pansies and violas, you may have a soil-born disease infecting your plants. Unfortunately, if that's the case, you're better off planting something other than pansies. Choices include snapdragons, alyssum, primroses and other cool-season annuals. If you already have pansies in the ground, be careful not to overwater, and cultivate often to aerate the soil.

This Season's Best New Roses

The All-American Rose Selections (AARS) is a nonprofit organization that promotes the best new rose varieties. AARS award winners have been evaluated around the country in an extensive two-year testing program, which judges everything from disease resistance to flower production to color and fragrance. Four outstanding roses were chosen for 2005. Look for them in rose catalogs, nurseries and garden centers this winter and spring.

For more information on the varieties you can choose from, please visit this month's feature article.