Lawns

• Apply 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet to lawns with tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and mixes of the two. To determine the amount of product you need, divide 100 by the first number on the fertilizer bag. Because some counties have water restrictions, contact your local Cooperative Extension Center before applying fertilizer.

• Water appropriately, according to your type of grass and soil, and the weather conditions. Use the free tool at www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/TIMS/ to get a customized recommendation for your lawn.

Ornamentals

• Take a soil test and apply needed lime if you are planning to install a bed in the spring.

• Plant containerized, ball-and-burlap or dormant bare-root trees and shrubs. Protect roots or root balls from freezing temperatures before planting. Dig a hole 2 to 5 times as wide as the root ball but no deeper than its height. Unless you are preparing and amending a large area for planting, use the soil removed when digging the hole to fill in around the roots.

• In USDA Hardiness Zones 7 and 8, plant bulbs now that will flower in the spring and early summer.

• Prune sasanqua camellias after flowering.

• If you are planning to build, take a look at the new North Carolina Cooperative Extension publication Construction and Tree Protection. See www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/forest/pdf/ag/ag685.pdf.

Edibles

• Plant fruit trees.

• Remove fallen fruit and leaves from under fruit trees, bushes or vines sometime before overwintering pests are due to emerge.

• Take a soil test and apply needed lime for spring vegetable garden.

To learn more visit www.successfulgardener.org.