One of the great gifts of gardening in the South is the fact that our soil rarely freezes. That means we can plant shrubs and trees during months our Northern neighbors are shoveling their sidewalks.

If you decide to plant in the next few weeks, don’t forget to mix one-half cup of superphosphate (0-46-0) into the soil around the roots. New plant roots demand lots of phosphorus but it doesn’t move from the soil surface down to the roots very rapidly. Better to put it down where the roots can get it when they start growing in March.