Waiting for the plain, red amaryllis to bloom. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Indoors

• Repot house plants as they out grow current pots.
• Pot amaryllis bulb.

• Sketch garden plans, including what to grow, spacing, arrangement and number of plants needed.
• Order seeds and plants as early as possible for best selection from mail-order catalogs or online retailers. The Mailorder Gardening Association is a good place to start.

General Landscape

• Keep road and sidewalk salt away from plants. If necessary, screen the plants with burlap to keep off spray. Calcium chloride products are recommended over sodium chloride to melt ice. Sand, cinders, ash and fresh kitty litter also may be used instead of ice-melting salts.
• Prune summer and fall blooming woody plants, including vines, shrubs and trees.
• Use hand or a broom to gently brush away heavy snow that may accumulate on shrubs before it freezes.
• Apply an all-purpose natural fertilizer or a dusting of compost around spring-flowering bulbs as they break ground.

Vegetables and Fruits

• Examine produce, tender flower bulbs and roots stored for the winter to make sure there is no rot, shriveling or excess moisture. Remove and discard damaged material.