Gardening Basics - Monthly Tips

Monthly Tips

January- Plant of the Month

Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans'

One expects elegance from a plant with a cultivar name of 'Elegans' and in many respects Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans' lives up to its name. The needles on this conifer are soft and color up in shades of plum and rose during the cold weather. The branch tips droop gracefully. However, when I think of this plant, I don't think elegant, instead images of the Pillsbury Doughboy and Santa's belly shaking like a bowlful of jelly come to mind. It's supposed to be on the slim side, reaching 10-15'x 5' in 10 years and maturing at 30'x 10'. Many of the plants I see aren't fat but they give a decided impression of paunchiness and their middles shimmy in the wind.

So we're talking about a smallish, elegant, Pillsbury Doughboy of a tree. What's not to like? Plant it in sun and decent humusy soils. Give it a little summer water and keep it out of drying winds that can turn its elegant foliage crispy. Make sure to give it a little extra room in case yours turns out to be a bit more girthful than advertised. On a windy January day, if you need a bit of cheering, go out and while your 'Elegans' wobbles in the wind try giving it a poke - to see if it giggles.

Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans' - photo from www.greatplantpicks.com

It's a cold January day. The garden looks bedraggled and guilt beckons you toward it. Trees need pruning, weeds need pulling - all the usual stuff. It's time to let go of the guilt and partake in one of the most enjoyable of gardening pastimes - looking through gardening catalogs.

The house needs to be quiet. You should get something warm and delicious to drink, curl up in your favorite chair and pull out some gardening catalogs. I love gardening catalogs - the whole plant world is open to you. The plant world is also open to you on the computer but the experience is nowhere near as satisfying.

The great thing about catalogs versus magazines and books is you know exactly what you're looking at and you can buy it. You can focus on one little thing, lily bulbs for example, and not have to get caught up in the big picture. A few packets of seeds, a couple of bulbs and you can renew a corner of your garden for just a few bucks.

The last great thing about catalog shopping is the delayed gratification. You make your choices, send off your money and often forget about it. Then, one day, a package arrives at your door and it is the seeds or bulbs or plants that you spent an afternoon choosing back on that dreary day in January and you get to relive the pleasure all over again.