"Tips to help you with your January & February Poplar Bluff gardening schedule."

• Dormant trees and shrubs can be pruned to remove diseased or broken branches and to also shape. Do not prune spring blooming plants, like azalea.
• Don’t leave stubs on trees, prune back to the branch collar. This ensures that the wound will callus back to the woundwood. (for proper pruning techniques, please visit this site from the Forestry Service.
• Make clean cuts leaving no stubs, and it is best to sterilize the tools between cuts with a bucket of water with a small amount of household bleach, especially if you pruned out diseased wood.
• Replant that live Christmas tree in the hole you prepared in December.
• Keep watering shrubs so they have enough moisture to survive the winter.
• Yes, you can work the beds now. Cover with manure so it will mature by spring. Also add lots of other organic matter into the top 12 inches and water it in.
• Water your bulb beds and cover any emerging growth to protect from looming ice storms.
• Clean up your beds. Remove dead annuals and cut back dead perennials, unless you like the winter structure of the plants. Also this lets you know where they are come spring planting.
• Mid-month, you can start your cabbage and onion seeds indoors.
• Order your cool-weather seeds now. Broccoli, spinach, lettuce, peas, cauliflower and celery.
• Set up your coldframe so it will be ready when your seedlings are ready to transplant outside.
• Be careful where you throw that ice melting salt.
• Continue feeding the birds and wildlife.