By Tami Reece  Master Gardener

I want to plant a tree to shade my house in the summer. Do you have any suggestions for which type of tree I should plant?

Carol C. Atascadero

You are wise to ask what variety of tree you should plant. Tree planting should begin with careful planning. Your goal should be to have a landscape that will cool your home in the summer and shield it from the winter winds. Think about the height of the tree you want to plant. What is the full grown height of the tree? Will the tree compromise building overhangs or power lines? Also, what is the canopy spread? How wide will the tree grow? You don’t want your tree to collide with buildings and you want to be a good neighbor, not having your tree grow several feet over their back fence. Does your city have any ordinances regarding trees or does your neighborhood have any HOVs? Is the tree deciduous or coniferous, or in other words, will you be raking leaves in the fall? What is the form or shape of the tree? A columnar tree will grow in less space and a round and v-shaped species will take up more space but provide the most shade. What is the growth rate of the tree or how long will it take for your tree to reach its full height? Slow growing species typically live longer than fast growing species. Does the tree provide fruit and will you have time to harvest the fruit? Also, your neighbors will not appreciate unwanted fruit dropping on their lawns and who wants over ripe fruit dropping on public sidewalks? What are the soil, sun, and moisture requirements of the tree? You need to know your planting zone or hardiness zone. This indicates the temperature extremes in which a tree can be expected to grow. A tree that should be planted in South County most likely will not survive the cold winters of North County. Finally, think of the foliage of a tree. There are trees that take on the color of sunsets with the changing of the seasons. With a little research, your yard will be beautifully landscaped with healthy, colorful trees.

By Tami Reece  Master Gardener

Garden in January? Absolutely! Even though the wind may be brisk outside, doing a few January chores will ensure a healthy and vibrant garden in the spring. Now is the time to plant bare root trees such as apples, peaches, pears and plums. If you have established deciduous fruit trees, prune before leaf buds form. To control peach leaf curl on deciduous trees, spray with copper or lime sulfur mixed with horticultural oil (following label instructions), but do not spray apricot trees with lime sulfur. Plant bare root roses or lilacs for a fragrant and colorful spring and prune established roses. Remove dead or damaged branches and clean all debris away from the base of the plant. As oranges, limes and lemons continue to produce, harvest fruit as it ripens. Even though you cleaned your gutters at the start of winter, you may need to clean again due to fallen leaves, now that most of the trees are bare. Also make sure to rake fallen leaves as they will smother grass if left in place. Replenish mulch to keep soil from compacting and to keep newly sprouted weeds at bay. Protect succulents when hard frosts are in the forecast, moving tender succulents under cover. Or if the pots are too heavy to move, cover in place. If the weather is too intolerable, you can always clean your gardening tools. Remove visible rust, wash and dry tools well. After drying, oil metal and wood parts of a tool to prevent further rust and cracking of wooden handles. As the holiday season ends, rather than placing your Christmas tree in your green waste, check to see if there is a drop off location for chipping and mulching of trees in your area. Finally spend those cold winter nights pouring over seed and summer bulb catalogs. You will need to order soon to have all your seeds and plants ready for your spring garden. Make sure to order at least one new variety of your favorite vegetable to try something new. Happy Gardening!

Now is the best time to select bare root fruit and nut trees.

 by Terri Sonleitner Law  Master Gardener

As we transition to a new year, you may be busy making resolutions. A great resolution is to visit your favorite garden or home center. Now through March is the bare root season, and your favorite local nursery or home center has their largest and freshest selection of dormant bare root fruit and nut trees available now.

Deciduous, or dormant, fruit trees available bare root include apple, apricot, cherry, fig, nectarine, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, pomegranate and prune, along with nut trees such as almond and walnut.  In addition to those trees, you will find an abundant supply of bare root berries, grapes and other vines, too.

In selecting your bare root trees, look for varieties that have the right chill requirements for your location. Chill requirements equate to the number of hours below 45 degrees F, so select low-chill varieties for our coastal areas. Look for trees with well-hydrated bark, and buds should appear alive, but should not yet be actively growing.

In handling bare root trees, never allow unplanted trees to dry out.  Keep roots in moist organic matter, or dig a shallow trench and bury them temporarily before planting, and resolve to plant within a short time.

For information on growing your own deciduous fruit and nut trees, we recommend consulting the University of California, California Backyard Orchard website. It has detailed information on selection, chill requirements, planting, first year care, fertilization and pruning of deciduous fruit and nut trees: http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/The_Big_Picture/

Information on “Suggested Fruit and Nut Varieties for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties’ Backyard Orchardists” is available: http://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/files/61216.pdf

If all this seems daunting, our local Master Gardener “Advice to Grow By” January workshop will feature discussion and demonstrations of fruit trees and vines, including choosing the right fruit tree for your region, as well as winter care of dormant fruit trees.  The workshop will be held on January 19^th from 10AM to Noon in the demonstration garden at 2156 Sierra Way in San Luis Obispo.  See you there!

By Ann Dozier Master Gardener

 I see bare-root roses in nurseries. Do you have suggestions of what to buy and planting instructions?  Joanne F., Arroyo Grande

This is a good time of year to buy dormant roses, sold as ‘bare root.’ Nurseries should have a wide selection at good prices. Before buying, however, consider your landscape plan, your microclimate and time available for care.

Beautiful large-blossomed hybrid tea roses or grandifloras are not always the best choice unless you are willing to invest time maintaining regular feedings, pruning and pest control routines. (Some modern varieties are advertised as disease resistant and may be less susceptible to fungal problems.)

Modern “landscape” roses, floribundas and polyanthas, (also called shrub roses) are easy to maintain, usually disease resistant and require little or no pruning. They can make good hedges and background plants. In choosing roses, it’s a good idea to check with neighbors who share your microclimate to find varieties that are happy in your growing conditions.

Bare root plants are sold by grades: 1, 1.5, and 2.  Try to buy ‘1’, the best quality. Plants should have been kept cool with roots in damp material. Choose those with at least 3 plump, green canes. Buds on canes should be plump, too, but not ready to burst. Once home, unwrap the rose, shake off storage material, and prune broken roots and canes. If you cannot plant immediately, store in a cool spot in damp sawdust or light sand. At planting time, soak the roots in water for several hours.

To plant, dig a hole about two feet wide and one foot deep in a sunny area of well-drained soil.  Make a cone about ten inches high in the middle of the hole and spread the rose roots over it, making sure the knobby graft union is above soil level.  Fill the hole with soil, amended with up to 1/3 organic material (compost or aged manure.) Press down gently. Water in the planting, rocking the rose back and forth until it is firmly settled. Level soil and form a little barrier about ten inches around the plant to make an irrigation basin. Your rose should bloom within 8 to 12 weeks.