That's right, it is the middle of January - wet, cold and even snowy at times - but I've come up with a list of at least 10 things you can do now if you have a severe case of cabin fever. Of course, for the outdoor activities you might have to wait for a decent day but one will come. That is one of the nicer things about gardening in Alabama - no matter how nasty the weather gets, there will be a more pleasant day just around the corner. You can bet on that!

1) Planning & Ordering - I received my first seed catalog the day after Christmas and they have been arriving steadily since. I love these catalogs - what gardener doesn't? - and they really get you excited about spring. Now is the perfect time to plan a garden. If you haven't discovered the joys of mail-order, I urge you to order something. I find it thrilling to get a live plant in the mail (but then again, I'm a very odd person, but I have heard other people say it so I know I'm not alone!) Some of my favorite mail-order companies are ForestFarm, Chamblee's Roses, Song Sparrow Nursery and Lazy S Farm Nursery. You simply can't find the wide selections in a local nursery that you do from these places. The only drawback these days is the exorbitant shipping prices. I admit they have curtailed my mail-order spending habits quite a bit but I try to treat myself to as least one plant from some of my favorite nurseries.

2) Planting - Do you have daffodils that you forgot to plant in December? If so, plant them as soon as possible. I'm always planting daffodils in January. As long as the bulbs are still firm, they are good and they will come up in the spring - they may not bloom like they would if planted earlier, but they will there for next year.

This is also an excellent time to plant trees and shrubs. The ground can be very wet in January but if you can find a dry time to do it, get them in the ground. The roots will begin to grow during the remainder of the winter and they will get a head start on the stressful heat and drought of summer.

3) Clean up planting beds and reapply mulch. This is what I did a few weeks ago. I was driving through a sub-division and saw a tremendous mountain of pine needles right there on the street. I have a confession to make - pine needles get me very excited. I was back in a flash with my rake to get them before the street department did. Seriously, who would throw away pine needles??? The mind reels.

If weather permits, beds can also be prepared for plants, including vegetables. Cover crops, planted in the fall, can be turned under.

4) Clean and sharpen tools. Okay, I'm not good at doing this. But this is a good time to do it!

5) Caring for our feathered friends. Winter is a stressful time for wildlife and this includes birds. Providing well-stocked bird feeders is a must and even more important is providing water. I bought a heating element to go in our bird bath so the birds can be assured a water source even in freezing weather. This is also a good time to clean bird feeders.

6) Apply dormant oils. If you have bugs or diseases in your garden and you want to get a head start, consider applying dormant oil (also known as horticultural oil) especially to roses, broadleaf evergreens and fruit trees. The oils are effective and ecologically friendly. They work by smothering the insects that are hiding out for the winter. Do not apply when temperatures are below freezing and apply when temperatures will be above freezing for at least 24 hours.

7) Take dormant cuttings of shrubs and roses. Cuttings can be taken, rooted and placed in a sheltered location, away for winds and sun. They should root by early spring.

8) Prune fruit trees. A subject I know little about but there are several neglected apple trees on my mother's property that needs attention. I'm doing my research and I'll keep you posted.

9) Start seeds indoors. If you have a large basement or a similar place, you can set up lights and start your vegetable and flower seeds indoors and have them ready in time to plant in the spring.

10) Start a gardening journal or better yet, a blog! - I can't stress the importance of record keeping. A journal can be very rewarding and full of useful information to you in the future. And if you'd rather do it online and publicly, start a blog. Take photos of everything. In years to come, you will look at your older photos and be amazed at how things have changed!

11 Okay, I lied, 11 chores to do. I just thought of one more chore that I do more than anything else in January - transplanting. This is a good time to move plants, especially roses. Check out my link for details.

We received eight inches of snow on Sunday night and our town has come to a stand still. It has been a long time since this much snow has fallen. Four days later and the roads are better but the frigid cold temperatures keep the garden under a white blanket.

A few nights ago, I took some photos from inside the house looking out the windows using really long exposures. Here are the results.

This photo was taken from the dining room window. I think this Japanese Maple (Booskoop Glory) is one of the most beautiful trees in the garden when covered with snow.



Below - Looking out another dining room window, this one facing north, is the little garden underneath a Yoshino Cherry tree where I have an urn fountain.



Another window, another room, still looking north. Our little vegetable garden is to the left and the urn fountain garden is to the right.



Below, this photo was taken looking out the front glass storm door. The vine hanging from above is Jackson Vine (Smilax smallii) and the conifer directly ahead is Colorado Blue Spruce. The lumps on each side, in front of the mailbox, are the lion statues. The shadows are from a street light.



I had to step out on the front stoop to get this shot, looking across the front garden toward the street light. The tree on the right is a Heritage River Birch and the tree to the left is an October Glory Maple.

The under-appreciated Nandina

It happens quite often - a plant becomes so over-used that it loses interest for gardeners - we seek out different and more exciting plants when the very best ones fall out of favor and sadly, attain the dreaded status of "common." Abelias, Rose of Sharon, weigela, come to mind, but one of the most familiar has to be Nandina domestica.

A native of China and Japan, Nandina (also known as Heavenly Bamboo), is a tough cookie, immune to disease and undesirable to insects. It will grow almost anywhere and it is attractive in all seasons. The feathery, delicate, evergreen leaves, turn fiery red or orange in sunnier locations and elegant panicles of ivory flowers in spring give way to brilliant red berries in late fall that hold up well into springtime.



If nandinas get a bad wrap, it could be because of the lanky appearance they get when left unpruned. The common nandina can attain an 8' height and the lower stems often loose their leaves. To keep them looking their best, cut back the oldest canes all the way to the ground in early spring and leave at least 1/3 of the canes intact. A neglected shrub can be rejuvenated by cutting the entire plant to the ground. Lower growing varieties are available such as "Harbor Dwarf", a variety that stays below 2 feet. I've grown this one and it is just as dependable as the common taller variety.

When we moved into our house in 1992, the only shrubs on the property were nandina and abelia planted, hit and miss, around the foundation on the north and south sides of the house. The abelia was pathetic looking and eventually shovel pruned. The nandinas, on the north side, looked good and with a little fertilizer and pruning, they have been beautiful every year.

I often hear that nandina is invasive in the wild but I don't believe it poses a serious problem in urban gardens. I've never seen it stray in our garden and oddly, birds don't seem to like the berries. I've read that the berries are poisonous to cats and grazing animals but again, our cats have never expressed interest in eating them. I often use the berries as decorations and even as an accent around holiday desserts (like my yule log) but I always warn people not to eat them. You never know what people will do!