By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

HOOVER – Horticulturalist Jason Powell from Petals from the Past in Jemison spoke to the Highland Lakes Gardening Club on Jan. 22 about how to prepare gardens and yards for spring during the wintertime.

Powell said people can prevent weed growth by treating grass with contact herbicide, and to kill overwintering insects in the garden with dormant oil, a mineral oil.

“Something you can be doing is prevention,” Powell said. “January is a great month for cleanup spray.”

Powell said throwing away dead foliage is another way people can prepare their gardens for springtime.

Powell said shrubs that fare well in the colder months include winter daphne and white cedar, which are both evergreen shrubs.

Candytuft is a perennial that blooms in January and February.

Regarding fruit, blueberries can be planted in the winter and are typically harvested in mid-June to late August.

“Blueberries are probably some of the toughest, low-maintenance fruits we can grow in the garden,” he said.

Winter is also a “great time” in the garden for growing herbs that don’t like heat, including cilantro and parsley, Powell said.