Happy New year everyone! I hope that you all have a fantastic year!

When we thinking of making New Years resolutions it’s usually something about ourselves, such as, to be a better person, to lose weight, to quit smoking and so on, but do we ever resolve to take better care of our gardens? I don’t think so.

Since I wasn’t feeling very well this past year I wasn’t out in my garden as much as I was in past years. Usually I’m out there every day – dead heading, trimming, adding organics to the soil and so on. I really fell off this fall when I didn’t even put my garden to bed for the winter. Yes, this year it is totally without winter protection. It should be interesting to see what happens come Spring time.

So in the New Year, I’ve decided to try to follow these great tips from the Plant Doctors at The American Phytopathological Society – perhaps you will too:

• Mulch my perennials after the ground freezes to help them overwinter comfortably even though temperatures may fluctuate.
• When studying plant catalogs, look for pest- and disease-resistant plants, such as mildew-resistant phlox, Fusarium-resistant tomatoes and disease-resistant crabapples that will make my gardening job easier and keep my plants healthier.
• Send a soil sample to a laboratory to learn what my lime and fertilizer needs are, rather than guessing.
• Set plants in the ground only at the proper depth-deep planting harms roots and kills plants!
• Use only the well-drained areas of my garden for plants-unless I purchase some swamp-loving species!
• Inspect plants carefully before purchasing to find evidence of invaders such as spider mites, scale insects or mealybugs, or root swellings that might mean crown gall disease on plants such as flowering cherries or roses.
• Spread a circle of mulch around young trees to keep lawn mowers from damaging the bark, leading to canker diseases later on.
• Use only a few inches depth of mulch and keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems of plants to discourage crown rot.
• Scout regularly for symptoms in the garden, so that I can pick off the occasional spotted leaf before problems escalate.
• Irrigate new trees and shrubs the first two years especially during dry weather to help them establish good root systems.
• Use a soaker hose or some type of irrigation system for the flower beds and vegetable garden that won’t wet the foliage and encourage leaf spots.
• Obtain a diagnosis when the cause of a problem is unclear or needs identification.
• Prune only in dry weather, especially when pruning plants prone to fire blight, such as pears, crabapples and hawthorns.
• Encourage beneficial insects and mites by minimizing use of broad- spectrum insecticides.
• Join a Master Gardener class to learn more about the fun of growing and maintaining plants.

To the New Year and better gardens for all.