When to prune is always a question gardeners have. There are many things to consider before answering that question. Careful pruning at the right time of the season is different from plant to plant. Deciduous plants (trees & shrubs) are those that shed and drop their leaves with the onset of winter or the end of the growing season. They go dormant during winter so it's an ideal time for pruning. Evergreens never become fully dormant so they should be pruned during their growing season. They may suffer tip burn if pruned in winter. If a branch or a plant has been damaged by wind, a storm, insects or a disease, etc., they may require emergency pruning at any time to save the plant from further damage.

Winter pruning (November to mid-March) is for deciduous plants. It has some advantages. Trees and shrubs that are dormant have dropped their leaves making it easier to see which branches need shaping or removal. In winter there's less chance of transmitting disease from one plant to another or attracting insects to the fresh pruning wounds.

What to prune?

Remove branches that are undesirable, dead, damaged or look like they may break from snow weight or wind. Remove water sprouts and suckers. Remove crossing branches or rubbing branches. Stand back and picture the tree without each branch to determine which one to remove. A correctly pruned tree doesn't look like its been pruned.

Thinning branches increases air circulation. Start at the center and move to the exterior. Thin branches that make up a dense mass or too many branches in one area. Never remove more than one-third of a tree or shrub. Thinning helps crab apples and hawthorns that are susceptible to fungal disease.

Prune back to (preferably an outward facing) bud or prune back to a branch. Do not leave a stub but also avoid a flush cut. Prune off to the "growth rings" or 'collar'. The natural collar should be left on the trunk so the wood can heal properly. Look for signs of insect problems (such as egg masses of tent caterpillars or gypsy moths), and remove by hand or prune it out to control damage in the spring. Inspect for disease such as open lesions, unusual swellings or cankers. Covering wounds is not always necessary.

Thin and prune grapevines from early through late winter. Remember, grapevines produce fruit on previous season's growth. Tie a ribbon now on those branches you want to keep. Prune down perennials that do not bloom on last years wood or set buds for next spring such as some hydrangeas. Prune roses to reduce their height for winter mulching and from winter winds whipping them to and fro. The majority of pruning will be in early spring.

Know thy plants before setting out to prune and always clean and disinfect your pruning tools after each use on each plant. Use rubbing alchol or make a 10% Bleach solution by mixing one part bleach to 9 parts water. Dry clippers throughly and coat with a fine layer of oil to prevent rusting.

- Darlene Ray, LaSalle County Master Gardener

Do you have beautiful gardens or know someone who does? Marshall-Putnam Master Gardeners are looking for gardens in the Putnam County area for their 2008 garden walk. This will be held in June either Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th or Friday the 20th and Saturday the 21st.

Contact Gwen at the Marshall-Putnam Extension office 309-364-2356, if you or someone you know would like to participate.

Master Gardener Training will begin in January at these nearby units: Bourbonnais - Decatur/Springfield - Oregon - Peoria/Pekin - Rock Island and Sycamore.

I have heard from Peoria and they are meeting on Mondays starting January 24th. The Master Gardener training can also be done online. A list of classes and locations is also printed online at www.extension.uiuc.edu/mg.

For more information call your nearest Extension Office.

Deadline to register December 1, 2007

The huge bulbs commonly sold as amaryllis, often as large as two fists held together, sometimes baffle indoor gardeners. They are, botanically, Hippeastrum, a name that is derived from the Greek for "knight" and "star." Certainly the vigorous emerging stems resemble a spear or lance, and the flowers are star-shaped. These bulbs, native to Central America, appreciate warm indoor temperatures.

The modern hybrids that are sold for holiday bloom can be found pre-potted, but it's easy, and economical, to pot these. Choose a pot with good drainage that is close to the size of the bulb. Hippeastrum do better in pots with about one inch of room between the bulb and the edge of the pot. Be sure to allow enough depth for the long, tangled roots. So a pot that is deeper than it is wide works best for these.

Use any good, well-drained potting soil mix. Hold the bulb in one hand, and dribble soil around its roots, poking between the roots with fingers (or chopsticks) to be sure there aren't any air pockets left. Leave at least 1/3 of the large bulb exposed at the top of the pot. This looks strange; the bulb emerges from the soil like a swimmer with shoulders partly out of water. If this seems puzzling, check at nurseries for examples of pre-potted narcissus. Water well after planting.

Keep the pots warm while they are growing indoors. Setting the pots where they get some bottom heat sometimes helps them get started. (The top of a refrigerator, or the top of a water heater would work.) Check after about a week to be sure the pot is well-watered, and move the plant into light when a shoot is visible, even 1/4 inch of a pale green nubbin. A flowering shoot is often the first to emerge from the bulb. Once growth begins, bloom will be 5 or 6 weeks away, with spectacular size and colors in pink, white, red, and even pale peach. The shoots grow quickly when they start, and checking their growth every two days or so is another good holiday distraction for children, (though, admittedly, it won't distract them for long.)

The amaryllis plant, unlike the paper white narcissus, grows steadily after bloom and can be maintained as a house plant. Long strap-shaped leaves will grow after the flower, or concurrent with the flower's bloom. Keep the plant in good light, watered and fertilized to grow as healthy a crop of leaves as possible. Put it outdoors in summer, and allow the leaves to continue growing. Around the beginning of August, stop watering the plants and let the leaves die back. After 6 to 8 weeks, the bulb is ready for re-potting with fresh soil, and ready to be grown again for winter bloom.

Other holiday gift plants often arrive already in bloom. Be sure to check the fancy wrappings at the bottom, to be sure water can drain freely. Poke holes in the wrapping so that water doesn't stand at the roots of the plants. (Some determined gardeners remove the wrappings, but the wrapper often adds a decorative touch. So poke those holes.

Enjoy! For more information look on the University of Illinois Extension web page.

- Marshann Entwhistle - Bureau County Master Gardener

Hummers seem to have been very numerous this year. In any event, the cannas have been a huge attraction. Plant a few of these regal, red beauties next year and the humming birds will come.

- Lucille Ledgner, Bureau County Master Gardener

I grew up in a warm, loving German/American home environment where house plants were an integral part of the décor. My mother always had an Angel Wing Begonia, Asparagus fern, (A.densiflorus sprengerii), African violets, Mother-in-law tongue, (Sanseveria), Geraniums and German Ivy, but her pride and joy were two large Christmas cacti which had a special location in our house; the front bedroom where windows went to the floor. Our house had a broad front porch facing south and the windows had sheer curtains so these plants always had bright indirect light and a cool temperature as the radiator was turned to low for better sleeping. They thrived under these conditions.

Everyone who visited at Holiday time was given an opportunity to admire her Christmas Cactii and she faithfully recited the number of blossoms on each plant; counted as they were spent.

Plants were part of our family as pets are for other families. They were fussed over and transplanted as need be. The only fertilizer I recall was a jar under the kitchen sink filled with water over crushed egg shells and of course a jar lid screwed on tight for obvious reasons.

It was 1955 . . . .the year Don and I were married after his two years with Uncle Sam. . . . .the year I left home with my new husband to build a home of our own. It was a busy year, both of us working full time and house building eight hours after work to fall dead asleep for the remaining eight hours. We moved into our new home in February of 1956 and it wasn't long till a Christmas Cactus moved in with us- - - - one started by my mother from her plants.

It is with us still. . . . .nearly fifty three years . . .and doing fine after a delicate transplant operation just this past summer. Now at four feet wide in all directions it no longer fits thru our three foot doors so for the first time it had no summer vacation on our screened in back porch where it usually stayed till Halloween.

The transplant operation took place in the living room over a large blue tarp with three doctors in attendance. My husband chipped away at the old clay pot with a brick layer's hammer while our son, Ken and I held it tenderly. A pot two inches wider had been purchased a few weeks prior and partially filled with potting mix in the bottom. With arms outstretched and bodies backed away so as not to break the long branches we gently moved it into its new home. To fill the remaining one inch surrounding the roots we rolled newspaper into cone shapes and slid soil along the sides tamping it down carefully with a paint stirrer. Instead of stitches the last requirement was a good drink of water. The plant patient is doing well.

All this was prompted by my finding a lovely, rusty, old, wrought iron plant stand three feet tall with an iron woven open basket to hold a pot. My Dear Don cleaned it with a wire brush and sandpaper and then sprayed it soft black.

My parents were born in Germany. My mother's birthday was on December 24, 1897. My Dad's birthday was on December 24, 1900. So when my Christmas Cactus blooms in December it brings back fond memories of my folks and wonderful Christmas celebrations of my childhood.

My parents were married in Germany February 10, 193l and came to America on their honeymoon. I opened my eyes in Ottawa, Illinois on November 25, that same year. In gardening terms you might say I'm an honest to goodness "for real transplant".

The cactus has quite a history as it made the front page of the Ottawa Daily Times one year with a write up by Joe Temple. The most blossoms recorded to date . . . four hundred and twenty seven. It has sprouted youngsters for special friends and passed on rootlets to garden club members. After all, gardening wouldn't be any fun with out sharing plants.

I cannot imagine my life without a Christmas cactus.

- Anna Mattes, LaSalle County Master Gardener

Think that just because it's winter you can't enjoy your flowers? Think again. African Violets are amazing houseplants that bloom all winter long and brighten even the dreariest of days.

A Flower of Many Colors

There is an astonishing array of colors to choose. We typically see the purples, pinks, blues and whites but here are even greens and yellows available. Blossoms can be single petals, double or ruffle. They now have been developed with contrasting colors around the edges or stripes along the petal. The popular 'Fantasy' series offers petals with freckles. You can vary your collection with different leaf shapes and colors. Variegated leaf violets are a beautiful addition. Miniature violets are a perfect treat to tuck in between your other houseplants for an unexpected surprise.

A Little Loving Care

African Violets are not hard to care for. Like most other houseplants, they enjoy the same things we do: enough light and sunshine, just the right amount of heat and a little humidity. They don't like to have their feet wet, or sit in a draft. They are pretty adaptable but do need enough light for producing blooms. I have grown my violets in window light from all exposures as well as just under a table lamp. Like us, too much sunshine can give then a burn. A sheer curtain between them and the window will work just fine or place the plant just a little bit away from direct sun contact.

Water in the Basement?

Violets like a nice place to live. They don't like water in their basements (a pot that won't drain). They do better in a clean environment too. Pick off spent blooms and leaves. Keep the top of the soil clean of debris and mineral deposits from the soil and water. They will grow in many different containers. Typically terra cotta pots will cause the leaves to rot. A plastic pot inserted into a terra cotta pot will do well as long as the leaves do not touch the terra cotta. Other ceramic containers with adequate drainage will do nicely. To keep their humidity level adequate, place the pot with drainage on top of another shallow dish with gravel. This way the water can drain out of the pot into the gravel and evaporate slowly while allowing the violet to get a drink when it needs it.

No Cold Showers!

Do you enjoy cold showers? Neither do violets! Give them a room temperature drink. Try not to let the soil dry out. How much you water and how often depends on the atmosphere where they live. If they are in a warm and sunny room they may get a little parched and need to be watered more frequently. If they are in a cooler sopt, they don't get as thirsty. They can be watered from the top or bottom. Don't allow water to stay on leaves in a cool room or bright sunshine. Like us they'll catch a cold and drop their leaves. I have given my violets a complete shower in the kitchen sink every so often. Because their leaves are fuzzy they collect dust. The water needs to be just a bit warm. Be sure to wash under the leaves also. This treatment works well also if your plants pick up a bug.

Spider mites or mealy bugs can bother violets. A little shower has cleaned mine right up. To prevent pests, the first and easiest thing is to isolate a new plant that comes into the family. Whether it's another violet or houseplant, keep the new arrival away until you are sure that it carries no unwelcome visitors.

Hungary Little Plants

Violets will enthusiastically gobble up a meal of 3-12-6 fertilizer. But watch out - a little goes a long way. The amount of fertilizer will also depend on your growing conditions and the water you use. Never use chemically softened water on any houseplant. In some communities where I've lived I have never needed to any additional fertilizer. However, well water has killed a whole collection of mine. Depending on your growing conditions, you may fertilize diluted strength every time you water or perhaps just once a month.

Once you get hooked on violets you'll always want more. They are one of the easiest plants to propagate. You can have a beautiful plant from one leaf in a short period of time.

Need to know more? Contact the African Violet Society of America at www.avsa.org. They were organized in 1946 to help promote this extraordinary plant.

- Laurie M. Hahn, Bureau County Master Gardener

Some gardener's are looking forward to winter so they can rest and reflect upon this year's garden. There are chores to do before Jack Frost settles in. Here's a list of some things to do as Ole Man Winter gets serious.

Mulch for winter- The goal for winter mulching is to keep plants dormant when winter temperatures rise above freezing (it's been 70 degrees in February) and protect plants from the fluctuating winter temps. If plants are kept too warm they may break buds and leave them unprotected to a hard freeze. Don't apply winter mulch too early or you will smother your plants. When plants go dormant and temps are consistently below freezing, it's time to mulch. Use 2 to 4 inches of organic material such as leaves, pine needles, hay or shredded bark. Check often for signs of rodents that move in during winter.

Mulching roses-Again, the purpose of mulching roses is to keep them dormant but not too warm. If using Styrofoam cones, make sure they have a hole in the top to expel heat build-up during warmer winter temps that can cause too much moisture. Provide some air flow. Wait until the leaves drop and nights are in the teens, remove dead or diseased leaves and canes and for our northern winters, hillup with 10 to 12 inches of soil. Encircle with hardware cloth around hill and cover with leaves or evergreen boughs to help keep soil frozen. This is done after ground freezes.

Critter Protection- Winter munching damages plants. Here's a few things you can do to discourage animals from turning your garden into their fast food cafe.

Deer- Consider walling off or excluding plants that deer favor. Use garden netting or snow fencing. Commercial repellents may be a temporary solution but a barrier is more effective. Protect smooth-barked trees from young bucks that will use the tree to scrap off the velvet coating of his rack with fencing or tree wrap.

Rodents-Consider cutting down perennials or ornamental grasses near trees that provide a rodents winter hideaway. Encircle ornamental trees with 12 to 18 inch-high hardware cloth about 3 inches away from the trunks and down about 2 to 3 inches. Chicken-wire will not keep small rodents out. Check trees often for evidence of rodent damage throughout the winter. Leave a gap at the trunk to limit feeding by rodents.

Watering- Water trees and shrubs weekly (up to Thanksgiving or until ground freezes) if rain is scarce. (Caution-over watering will kill roots). Keep snow piles off branches of shrubs or evergreens that may snap them. If possible, remove loads gradually with care.

Sun Scald -When the sun shines during a mild winter day on the southwest side of trees, shrubs and evergreens, sunscald can occur. Plant cells may break dormancy and become active and when temps drop again, those active cells are killed. Prevent this by providing a barrier for shrubs and evergreens on the southwest side by wrapping with burlap or making a burlap wall. Sun scald does permanent damage to leaves and branches.

Tools - Clean, sharpen and oil your garden hand tools and blades. This protects them and they will be ready for spring.

Take a walk on the mild side. Inspect your property often during those mild days of winter. You may discover a situation that you can fix now before permanent damage if left until spring. Also, peek into your garden shed for unwanted squatters like mice.

Source:UIUCExtension www.urbanext.uiuc.edu

- Darlene Ray, LaSalle County Master Gardener

It's not too early to begin planning next year's garden. A list of this year's most

successful varieties will be a big help. Those 2008 seed catalogs will be arriving soon and

guidelines are a big help.

- Lucille Ledgner, Bureau County Master Gardener

Just because it is after the first frost does not mean we cannot use fresh herbs from the garden. The idea is to bring the herbs into the kitchen. Having an indoor herb garden is not as hard as many people think. Even I can do it and keep them growing for the winter.

I think a lot of that is they are in the kitchen and I can remember to water them once in a while, but that is an entirely different story. Let's get back to the smell and taste of the fresh herbs. Once you start using them for cooking, it is impossible to achieve the taste you want without using the freshest leaves you can get.

Many people have all kinds of excuses for not bringing in their herbs or for not starting a few new ones in the house. One of the complaints I often hear is I don't have enough room or nothing to plant them into. Ok, that may be true but let's get into a little imagination. If you keep that crock-pot on the counter plant a herb in a 6 or two in an 8 inch plastic pot and plop it into the crock pot. It makes the crock pot a vase and the plants can be taken out and set into the sink the couple of days a month you use the crock pot for day long simmering creations. ( Just remember to use a little fresh basil in the pot for flavor). Use that old teapot, an old crock, or a latte cup that fits the color of the room. A cut glass truffle dish or tall fruit/ candy dish with the pot covered with foil or mylar the color of your room. Use your imagination; the only limitations are at least 5-6 inches deep and room for drainage. The drainage can be a hole in the bottom or pebbles or sand to keep the roots from sitting in water. Don't think you have to have a clay pot plopped on the counter unless your house is decorated like mine and they fit the theme. With so many people using fresh herb now that the grocery stores are starting to carry them the Idea of growing your own is becoming more popular.

Growing your herbs is popular for the young trends setters in the cities. Little did I know how my skills would be popping up in my children's kitchens and everyone making such a fuss over a few herbs. As the popularity of gourmet cooking (we use to just call it old fashion meals) continue to be trendy the uses of herbs continue to rise.

Rule # 2 is to place the herbs in a windowsill or anywhere they can receive 5-8 hours of sunlight. I Place mine on the south counter under the window where the sun comes in and I have a florescent light over the window to turn if I see the plant not as green as I want or starting to get lanky. Many of my friends will set them in the sink overnight or while they are at work under the florescent light above the sink if they need to add more light time. Just so they can enjoy the favorite herbs and be the gourmet cook everyone brags about.

What herbs are the best to grow is the question often asked by these trendsetters. As old time cooks and gardeners will tell you try basil ( My family favorite) for soups, gravy, in pasta sauces, on beef, poultry, pork, salads, vegetables if you cook it we use it except desserts. Parsley is great. Chives are ok. Rosemary is good especially if you want to keep it for next years garden.(Be careful if you have allergies Rosemary's fragrance has been known to cause a runny nose or two). Thyme is a great countertop herb. Yet my favorites are the Basil and the Parsley. The reason I have for these are the beauty of the plants and foods we cook use these herbs. Both of these herbs would make great houseplants even if you did not use them for cooking. Just remember when the basil starts going to seed just cut the seed pods off. Also as you use the plant the bushier it will become. Enjoy bring in the herbs and enjoy the cooking.

Just remember many herbs are annuals and will not keep growing much longer than a year. If they do start dieing out remember you may not have done anything wrong. They only last so long.

- Barb Dahlbach Marshall-Putnam Master Gardener

So, have you eaten any fruits or vegetables lately? Take a look at what the grown-ups are preparing for your meals and snacks and see if you can tell the fruits from the vegetables. Some good things to cut open and look at are apples, tomatoes, bananas and peppers. Since they have seeds inside they are all considered fruits. You will have to look very closely to see the seeds in a banana, but they are there. Then look inside carrots, broccoli, cabbage or potatoes. Those are all vegetables that are harvested before they have a chance to flower, so you won't find any seeds, even on the outsides.

Here is fun gardening activity that you can do at home when the weather is too cold for outdoor gardening. You can plant both a fruit and a vegetable and get great looking houseplants for the winter months!

AVOCADO PLANT – Avocados are fun to grow . The seed is big and in a few short weeks it will be a handsome foliage plant. Just follow the steps below:

1. Select ripe (soft and dark) fruit at the store.

2. Choose a flower pot, but make sure it has a drainage hole.

3. Cover the drainage hole with broken crockery to keep the soil in the pot.

4. Fill the pot three-quarters full with regular potting soil and the remainder with washed sand.

5. Remove the seed, wash it, and allow it to dry (make sure you eat the meat from the avocado, it's delicious!)

6. Insert the avocado seed, pointed end up, so about one-third of it is above the sand.

7. Keep the sand damp, but not wet, and watch it grow!

The avocado seed will also root in plain water.

1. Suspend the seed, using toothpicks for support, so that the thick end touches the water. Add water as needed to keep the seed suspended.

2. Place the seed in a dimly lighted area for six to eight weeks, or until the long tap root emerges.

3. Plant the germinating seedling in a pot, as described above, but avoid breaking the roots.

4. Move the plant into the light. A pale green shoot will soon appear. At first the leaves will be small and pointed but growth will soon accelerate.

SWEET POTATOES – Turn a sweet potato into a vining house plant. The stems grow vigorously, even in plain water. In a short time the vines will be long enough to train around a window.

1. Select a firm sweet potato from the grocery store.

2. Place pieces of charcoal in a jar of water to keep it sweet and discourage odor and decay.

3. Place the tapered end of the root tip just under water. Use toothpicks to support the potato if needed.

4. Place the plant near a lighted window. Light keeps the vine compact and the leaves a darker green.

- Sherry Hockings, Bureau County

From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens -

the garden outdoors,

the garden of pots and bowls in the house,

and the garden of the mind's eye.

- Katherine S. White

January is the quietest month in the garden. ... But just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening. The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants. The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come.

- Rosalie Muller Wright, Editor of Sunset Magazine, 1/99

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ...

a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.

And the anticipation nurtures our dream.

- Barbara Winkler