Snow-laden dogwood. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

It may be tempting to knock the ice and snow off of trees and shrubs, but resist.

It’s ill-advised to try and break the ice or shake the snow from the limb, an action that might cause more damage. However, ice- and snow-laden limbs on trees can be hazardous because the weight may cause them to break.

What to do? The best advise is to let nature do the work and allow the snow and ice to melt naturally. Avoid walking under trees loaded with snow. If a limb does break, your best bet is to call a certified arborist, especially if the limb is large and it tore the bark as it fell.

Conifer's branches bend under the weight of icy-snow. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Multistemmed evergreens, such as yews, arborvitae and junipers, are often damaged, too, by heavy accumulations of snow or ice. The soft, brittle branches of many hardwoods, such as chinese elm, maples, and birch, may be seriously damaged in ice storms. Improper removal of ice or snow from the tree or shrub might increase the damage, according to a Purdue University publication, Winter Injury of Ornamentals.

Evergreens can be protected from snow and ice by tying the branches together with strong rope or twine. If ice accumulates on trees or shrubs, prop the branches up to prevent breakage. Never break ice off trees or shrubs by beating the ice covered branches. This only increases the damage and causes further breakage.

If severe branch breakage occurs because of heavy ice or snow, the branch stubs should be pruned back to the main stem to promote rapid healing and callus formation before growth resumes in the spring.

Other tips:

Effects of Cold Weather on Horticulture Plants in Indiana

Chain Saw Safety

Hyacinth forced into bloom perfume the air. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

As I sit and write this column, the fragrance of a white hyacinth vies for my attention.

Not far behind are blue and pink hyacinths just about ready to bloom. The hyacinths spent fall and winter in a paper bag on my enclosed, but unheated porch. Those several weeks on the chilly porch prepared the bulbs for forcing indoors.

Some garden centers may still have hyacinths, tulips or daffodils that have been pre-chilled and are ready for forcing. Or, you can buy pots of bulbs forced into bloom at garden centers, florists and grocery retailers.

These bulbs add a bit of seasonal beauty indoors at a time of the year when we are starved for natural color and fragrance. Pots of forced bulbs also make the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day.

For the longest period of enjoyment, keep forced bulbs in a cool, bright spot away from direct heat. Usually people toss the bulbs after they are done blooming, but many can be transplanted into the garden in spring. If you want to do that, keep the foliage attached to the bulb. The leaves replenish the bulbs nutrients and can be removed when transplanted after they turn yellow or brown, a process called ripening.

Cut tulips last about a week when kept in fresh water and in a cool location. Photo courtesy Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center

If all of this seems like a lot of work, consider buying a bunch of tulips or daffodils at the florist or grocery store.

Select flowers that still are tight, but showing a bit of color. When you get the tulips, daffodils or hyacinths home, make a fresh cut on the stems and place in a clean vase with cool water.

Place the vase in a bright area away from direct heat and cold. Within a day or two, the flowers should open. They will last about a week to 10 days. Change the water every day or two. Do not use floral preservative mixes with bulbs.

Keep mower blades sharp for the best cut.

In the February issue of Angie’s List magazine, the Hoosier Gardener offers tips on getting your garden tools tuned up for the season.

What’s Up in the Central Indiana Gardening Community

HortusScope, an e-bulletin for the Central Indiana gardening community, is published the first of every month as a public service by Wendy Ford.

The checklist of things to do in the garden in February is posted.

In the 2009 Great Backyard Bird Count, 1,260 checklists in Indiana reported 6,082 cardinals. © iStockphoto

You don’t have to be a gardener very long before you notice other inhabitants of the landscape.

Last year this time, robins filled my yard, but this year nary a one. No robins, either, on my daily walks with the dog along White River, where last year, there were flocks of the red-breasted birds.

One way to know which birds are in your landscape is to participate in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 12 through 15, one of the largest citizen science activities in the country. Participation is free.

Bird populations change all the time and one way to keep track is by the count, sponsored by the National Audubon Society with support from Wild Birds Unlimited, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Resource Conservatiopn Science and the National Science Foundation. The count helps scientists understand birds and environmental factors on their populations.

Last year, 94,165 checklists were submitted, which counted nearly 11.6 million birds representing 620 species. Here’s the Indiana count from 2009.

Here’s how to participate:

* Get a checklist for your area.

* Select a site. This can be your bird feeder, a tree, a spot in the yard, landmark or other area. Watch the site for at least 15 minutes.

* Consider the count like a snapshop. Count the birds you see and record the highest number for each species. For instance, you see two cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) and one Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) the first time you count, which you record. The second time you count, you see three cardinals and three chickadees. You correct your tally to the higher numbers. Do not add the numbers together.

* Record weather conditions, time of day and time spent on counting.

* Report your count at the Web site.

Protect plants from ice melt products. (C) Fotolia

Ice melts or deicers make the sidewalk, driveway and porch step safe in bad weather, but some may be deadly to landscape plants. Some also may damage concrete.

Five chemicals are used to make deicers: calcium chloride, sodium chloride or salt, potassium chloride, urea and calcium magnesium acetate. The chlorides are salt like products, which can react adversely with concrete, causing it to crack and discolor. Chemically damaged plants may have dried branches or tips. Which ever product you select, please read and follow the label directions.

* Calcium chloride, when used properly, will not likely harm plants. However, if used incorrectly or over applied, it will harm plant roots.

* Salt can damage plants, soil and metal. Salts sprayed from road traffic also can damage plants. Salt spray that lands on branches or stems and evergreens may cause excessive drying. Salts can change the chemical balance of the soil and can accumulate to toxic levels.

* Potassium chloride is another salt like product, which may injure plants when splashed on leaves and may damage the roots of plants.

* Urea is a fertilizer, however it can contaminate the soil and surface water runoff with nitrates. If overused, urea can damage plants.

* Calcium magnesium acetate is made from dolomitic limestone and acetic acid, the main compound in vinegar. Unlike other materials, CMA does not form a salt like brine. Instead, it prevents snow particles from sticking to each other on surfaces. This product is not considered hazardous to plants or concrete.

The best way to keep surfaces free of ice is to sweep or shovel away the snow.  However, be careful not to dump salt-treated snow or ice on the lawn or other plants. Alternatives to chemical ice melts include clean, non-clumping kitty litter, saw dust, coffee grounds or sand. Be careful about tracking these products indoors.

Breeding breakthrough Invincibelle 'Spirit' is the first pink-blooming mop head Hydrangea arborescens. Photo courtesy ProvenWinners/ColorChoice

This spring, look for a lovely new pink hydrangea with an Invincibelle ‘Spirit’ in garden centers, online retailers and mail order catalogs.

It is the same species as the popular white, mop-head, ‘Annabelle,’ (H. arborescens), probably the most reliable hydrangea in the Midwestern garden.

Sometimes called the first ‘pink Annabelle,’ Invincibelle ‘Spirit’ is a breeding breakthrough from North Carolina State University and Spring Meadow Nursery, a wholesale grower in Grand Haven, Mich. It is marketed under the Proven Winners/ColorChoice brand.

‘Spirit’ did incredibly well last year in my garden. Last spring, it arrived in a four-inch Proven Winners pot. I planted it immediately in a shady spot and the hydrangea quickly grew into a 24-inch tall shrub with five stems sporting dusty pink flowers off and on all summer.

‘Spirit’ can be planted in part shade to full sun. If in full sun, the plant will need more water. In early spring, apply a slow-release fertilizer formulated for trees and shrubs, following the package instructions. In winter, the dried flower heads turn tan and provide some interest in the seasonal landscape.

Although it tolerates a wide range of planting sites, ‘Spirit’ does best in organically rich, well-drained, moist, but not wet, soil. At maturity, this fast-growing shrub will be three- to four-foot tall and wide.

Hydrangea arborescens is a native species. It blooms on current season’s growth and can be pruned in late winter or early spring. Winter hardy throughout Indiana, it tolerates being cut back to the ground.

As an added bonus, Proven Winners/ColorChoice will donate $1 from the sale of each Invincibelle ‘Spirit’ hydrangea to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation with a goal of raising $1 million.

Garden clubs, Master Gardener groups and garden retailers are encouraged to hold fundraisers with the plants. Here’s more info.

'Twinny Peach' snapdragon. All photos courtesy All-America Selections

All-America Selections has changed its introduction schedule of new plants for gardeners.

Effective this year, the flowers and vegetables declared AAS Winners will be available through all distribution channels, from breeder to grower to retailer to consumer at the time of their announcement. In the past, it sometimes took years for the winners to work their way to the consumer because seed may have been in short supply or other factors.

Popular AAS winners from the past include ‘Lady in Red’ salvia, ‘Siam Queen’ basil and ‘Big Beef’ tomato.

'Moonsong Deep Orange' marigold.

Each AAS Winner has been grown and evaluated for several seasons in trial gardens throughout the United States. Besides new, unusual or improved attributes, the plants must meet the new availability standards, said Diane Blazek, the newly appointed executive director of All-America Selections and the National Garden Bureau. (See below for AAS Display Gardens in Indiana.)

The changes are in response to concerns raised by consumers and garden writers about the lack of availability of some of the winners, she said.

'Endurio Sky Blue Martien' viola.

In another change for the organization, AAS winners will be announced three times a year rather than all at one, Blazek said. Look for announcements in late fall, winter and summer.

Here’s a list of this year’s winners. Seeds or plants should be available this spring in garden centers and mailorder or online retailers. If you don’t find it in your favorite printed catalog, check its online listing because the plants may have been announced too late for publication, she said.

Perennials

'PowWow Wild Berry' purple coneflower.

'Mesa Yellow' blanket flower.

‘PowWow Wild Berry’ coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). Retains flower color for long period and improved branching habit.

‘Mesa Yellow’ blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora). Does not get tall, loose of floppy.

Annuals

‘Moonsong Deep Orange’ marigold (Tagetes erecta). Fade resistant flowers.

‘Twinny Peach’ snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus). First double compact snap.

‘Endurio Sky Blue Martien’ viola (Viola cornuta). Spreading, mounding habit.

Double Zahara Cherry zinnia.

Double Zahara Fire zinnia.

Zahara Starlight Rose zinnia.

Double Zahara ‘Cherry,’ Double Zahara ‘Fire’ and Zahara ‘Starlight Rose’ zinnias (Zinnia). Resistant to leaf spot and powdery mildew. I grew Starlight Rose last summer and loved it.

'Shiny Boy' watermelon.

Vegetable/fruit

‘Shiny Boy’ watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). High yield, 20-pound melons with sweet tropical flavor.

Indiana has no trial gardens, but there are four display gardens where you can see many AAS Winners: Hamilton County Master Gardener Garden, 2003 E. Pleasant St., Noblesville; Fort Wayne; Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at Foster Park, 3900 Old Mill Road, Fort Wayne; Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens, 3501 E. Lloyd Expressway, Evansville, and Tippecanoe County Master Gardener Association Garden, 3150 Sagamore Parkway South, Lafayette.

This begonia is more than a year old and is surviving on benign neglect. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

My garden bloggers’ bloom day has a tropical flare this January.

In the house, a orangy begonia is about to bloom and the forced spring bulbs have poked a few leaves through the soil in the pots on the enclosed, but unheated porch.

But the real show is in my extended yard.

There you’ll find:

Pink powder puff plant in full bloom. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Red powder puff flowers (Calliandra haematocephala) climbing a fence. Near by is the pink orchid tree (Bauhinia purpurea) with its hibiscus like flowers with incredible fragrance. On the other side of the yard is cedar bay cherry, or beach cherry (Eugenia reinwardtiana).

Also adorning my extended yard are night herons, an interesting bird that will eat from your hand, but the pointy beaks sting a bit. Photo to come.

For more about Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, visit the instigator, May Dreams Gardens.

Cedar bay cherry, or beach cherry. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Fragrant pink orchid tree. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp