Wow, I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone by. It was truly a very buy, busy year! But now, I am ready for spring—how about you? The Coles County Extension Master Gardeners are going to have something very special for any of you who choose to attend. It is called "Spring into Gardening" and is will be at the beautiful new Lifespan Center. We have 3 wonderful guest speakers lined up to share some of their knowledge with all of us on Saturday, February 23^rd. The first one is Sandy Mason, who Horticultural and Environment Unit Educator with Champaign County Extension. Shane Cultra, fifth generation Nurseryman and co-owner of Country Arbors will also be a featured speaker. Tony Bratsch, Horticulture Extension Educator with Effingham Extension Center completes the list of speakers. We are very fortunate to have these very special guests. We will be getting our registration information and other details out in next week's column. As I have said you will want to get registered early because seating will be limited.

GARDEN QUESTIONS FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Since we have had some snow, I think deer have been chewing on my trees. How can I be sure? What can I do if they are? Damage by deer is not hard to identify. Since both mule deer and white-tailed deer lack upper incisors, deer browsing often leaves a jagged or torn surface on twigs or stems; whereas a rabbit or rodent browsing leaves a clean surface. In addition, deer tracks are very distinctive. The height of damage from the ground often rules out any other mammal other than deer. Deer are often observed "in the act" of causing damage. The only sure way to eliminate deer damage is to fence the deer out, however that is often cost-prohibitive except for orchards or private gardens. A dog on a long run can keep deer out of the limited area. There are a variety of contact (applied directly to the plant) and area (applied near the plant) repellents available. These include "Hinder," "Thiram," "Deer-Away," human hair, bone tar oil, Naphathalene(mothballs) hot pepper sauce, and blood meal. Remember that success with repellents is measured in the reduction, not total elimination of damage.

Q) Our trees took a beating from some ice and snow, should we treat the cut surfaces with sound dressings or paint? A) Tree paint and dressings are of cosmetic value. They help hide the light- colored scars. However, the paints and dressings actually increase decay by increasing the collection and retention of moisture and by encouraging insect activity. Also, paints and dressings slow the wound-healing process. Thus, pruning paints and dressings do not help the damaged trees.

Q) When and how should my snow covered, possibly storm-damaged trees be reshaped? A) Storm damaged trees need reshaping as soon as possible after the injury. If severe pruning is needed, the tree recovers faster if repair work is completed well before re-growth starts next spring. To remove the snow: use an upward motion with a broom, gently remove heavy snow accumulation on shrubbery especially arborvitae. Remove snow before it freezes. Any branches split from ice or snow should be pruned promptly to prevent further damage

Q) Is there anything I can do about the branches on my trees that have been bent out of shape by the ice and snow? If branches have been bent out of shape, they can be propped up or tied to higher branches in the spring before new growth appears. Within a month or two, the limbs should be set and anchors or props can be removed.

GARDENING IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS

GENERAL: Order seed and nursery catalogs. Plan garden layout. Attend any garden schools, meetings, and workshops that might be in the area. Check out all the gardening and horticulture information on the Coles County Extension web site at: http://coles.extension.uiuc.edu/. To reduce damage to surrounding plants, use calcium chloride rather than sodium chloride to melt driveway and sidewalk ice. FLOWERS: Holiday evergreen boughs can be used to mulch perennial gardens. Mid-January start seeds for warm seasons annuals such as begonias and geraniums. (If you want to. I personally would rather someone else start them so that all I have to do is plant them!) Sow pansy seed indoors. INDOOR GARDENING: Repot houseplants if necessary. Remove fading flowers from amaryllis. Allow stems to wither before removing. Keep the leaves growing to replenish the bulb. Give houseplants a bi-weekly shower to remove dust and insects. Do not fertilize houseplants this month unless plants have a supplemental light. Insecticidal soap sprays can be safely used on most houseplants to kill many insects. TIP: Are your house plants getting enough light? Symptoms of poor light: New leaves are small. Long, weak stems. Yellowing leaves. No new growth.