Planning To Send Holly To Friends? Give Branches A Dip Before Packing Them

Q: I'd like to know how to cut holly and preserve it to send to friends in California.

A: Obviously you'll want to take only healthy, good-looking branches with plenty of ripe berries. The branches must be dipped in Holly Dip, which is available at local nurseries and garden centers. Mix the chemical with water in a container large enough so you can completely dunk the holly.

While it's still moist, wrap the holly in waxed paper and place it in a sturdy box with ventilating holes. Treated holly has been known to keep its leaves and berries for up to a month.

It's a good idea to enclose a few instructions for care in the package. Upon receipt, the stems should be recut and the branches put into warm water.

It must be kept away from drafts, heat registers, fireplaces, TV sets and any other heat-producing source. The cooler the location, the better it will be for extended life.

Q: Is it too late to plant bulbs in pots? Should I leave pots outside or in, and do I water all winter?

A: It's not too late. Spring-blooming bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths can go into pots right up to the end of December. Use a good-sized pot, about 10 inches in diameter, in plastic or wood. Clay pots may crack with exposure to weather. Recycled plastic nursery pots work well.

You can hide the plastic with a basket or other container in spring when you want to display the flowers. Fill the pot about three-fourths up with a soil mixture that drains well. Check the drainage by watering it before you add the bulbs. Without good drainage, the bulbs will rot before they can root.

Plant the bulbs close together (almost touching) on top of the soil, then fill up the rest of the pot. The purpose of planting high in the pot is to allow as much room for roots as possible. Water the finished planting and put in a label indicating type of bulb and date of planting.

These pots need cold, but not freezing, temperatures. An unheated garage will work if the temperature stays at 45 degrees F or below. If you store the pots in a cold shelter like this, be sure to keep them watered throughout the winter.

Your bulbs are in active growth and will die if they dry out. You can also place the pots outside; winter rains should take care of watering, but be sure to check the pots if there is a dry spell. Pack leaves or other insulation around the pots to protect them from freezing, or sink the pots in the ground. Daffodils and tulips require at least 12 weeks of cold (temperatures below 45 degrees F) to establish good roots and start to sprout.

If you have your pots buried in leaves, check for shoot growth about eight weeks after you plant. Slugs enjoy spending the winter inside the pots, under the leaves, and will perforate your plantings unless you check for the little monsters.

And shoots need light once they start to grow. All spring-blooming bulbs are quite cold-hardy but the roots require cold protection. Watching them grow is an early-spring delight.

Q: I have a nice 18-inch rosemary in a pot. Each winter I bring it indoors. It's been in the house a few weeks now and it's blooming. Is this a problem?

A: Relax and enjoy its pretty little flowers. Since you've successfully kept it inside for several winters now, you must have a very bright, cool spot where it is happy. Even a relatively cool spot in your home, however, is warmer than the fall temperatures it was experiencing before you brought it indoors.

Your rosemary plant is just a little confused. The warmth after a cold spell has tricked it into thinking that it's spring.

Gardening runs Friday in Scene and Sunday in Home/Real Estate. It is prepared by Mary Robson, Master Gardener program director, Holly Kennell, Washington State University/King County Cooperative Extension agent, Susan Miller, integrated pest management specialist, and volunteer Master Gardeners.