Question: I know you recommend pruning trees in the middle of winter before the sap starts to rise. With a mild winter will the sap start to rise earlier and should I be pruning earlier also?

Answer: I believe on some trees the sap has already started to rise. Pruning after the sap has started to rise causes bleeding (sap oozing) but no permanent damage. This year I recommend pruning deciduous trees as quickly as you can. The pruning that would normally be done in late January to early February should be done as soon as you can possibly get to it.

Question: We had the pleasure of coming to your nursery in October to purchase a Beauty Berry bush. When we arrived home a couple of the branches broke off. I put them in water and much to our shock two of them rooted. One now has leaves. It will obviously be months until it can be planted outside. I want to know if I should just keep it in a bright window and keep the soil moist until I am able to plant it outdoor or if I should put in a bright window in our attic where it will grow more slowly than in the house. I guess I never thought the cuttings would actually root since I have never had any luck like that before.

Answer: I suggest a sunny window in a warm place. Be sure to delay planting outside until after the last frost. Even if you keep the young plant in a sunny window, full sun outdoors is much stronger and there is danger of scalding the tender foliage that was formed indoors. Harden off the Beauty Berry by moving it slowly from part shade to full sun.

Question: It's now in the first week of the new year and it's over 70 degrees. Are the borers hatching in my iris..and so too late for imicloprid or cygon or some such that I always put on in March BEFORE this temperature?

Answer: I doubt the borers have hatched. I continue to recommend spraying concurrent with the very early daffodil bloom.

Question: My bulbs are sprouted farther out of the ground than I have ever seen them at this time. Some of the daffodils are already up about six inches. Will they be okay or should I protect them somehow? What do you recommend?

Answer: Due to the warm weather across much of the nation, bulb foliage is out of the ground farther than usual for mid January. I have had dozens of inquiries about this.

Unless the bulbs have exposed buds which are showing color, you probably have nothing to worry about. The foliage is loaded with sugar and has a very low freezing point. I believe the bulbs will be fine as long as the temperature stays above ten degrees Fahrenheit. At worst the tips of the foliage may be singed, but bloom should be normal.

There are two things you can do to provide additional protection. One is to add an additional inch of mulch. The second is to cover the sprouting foliage with evergreen boughs such as Christmas tree branches.

Question: We had some construction done at our home and the contractors have finally finished. If I bring some pictures into your store can you recommend shrubs to plant around our new addition? Do you offer a landscape service? Can we plant now, or must we wait for warmer weather? Can I still plant grass seed? What about flower bulbs? With all of this construction I didn’t get to plant any spring bulbs. Do you still have any left? I am thinking of things like daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocus.

Answer: If you bring pictures into the store or e-mail them, I would be happy to make suggestions for landscaping around your new addition. If you would like to make an appointment to meet in the store, please contact Sandy. The earlier in the season you come, the more time I can devote to you. We do landscape installation. The plants you select will determine when we can plant.

I would not plant grass seed now. There is too much danger of it drying out and dying before it sprouts in the spring. Even though it has been warm, it has not been consistently warm enough at night for grass seed to sprout.

All of the flower bulbs you mentioned can still be planted. In fact, our landscape crews are planting bulbs almost everyday. We still have some tulips and daffodils left, but we have only a few crocus and no hyacinths.