Spring is right around the corner! Here are a few tasks to do while waiting for the ground to and air to warm up!
- Gently remove matted leaves to uncover early spring bulbs, but don’t get too aggressive or you might damage the crowns of perennials that haven’t yet emerged.
- Cut back winter damage on evergreen perennials such as hellebores, ginger, epimedium as well as ornamental grasses.
- WHENEVER POSSIBLE DO NOT WALK ON LAWNS!!! The ground is still a little soft and wet and you can damage the turf.
- Plant pansies in containers for some pretty color while waiting for your yard to wake up
- Once the soil temperature is above 40 degrees you can consider applying fertilizer, if necessary.
- Now that temperatures are getting above freezing, start applying horticultural oils and insecticidal soap to help with the emergence of pests such as aphids, lacebugs and scale. Make sure to read the package instructions carefully before applying. What you want to apply may not be right for the pest you are after.
- Start watching for the emergence of invasives and cut them to the ground. It doesn’t take much time before they take over!
- Trees and shrub care: prune anything that is dead, damaged or diseased.
Prune roses, but only if they’ve been in your yard for at least two seasons. Prune paniculata (ie, limelight and little lime), and arboresens (ie Annabelle), but not macrophylia (ie Nikko Blue, Endless Summer, which bloom on last year’s growth). Give your butterfly bush (buddelia) a hard pruning now. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR SPRING BLOOMERS YET!!!
Finally, get outside whenever its nice out and start dreaming about what new garden beds, plants, annuals, you’d like to add this year!