Garden Maintenance in March/April

Clean– Make sure to thoroughly clean up your garden. Diseases and insect eggs can winter over from last year so it is essential to clean out plant debris and dead foliage.
Weed – Now is the easiest time to weed your garden. Most green plants are weeds and they can easily be removed while still small.
Prune– cut back your perennials. However wait until new growth appears for woody structured ones such as perovskia and buddleia.
Stake perennials that will certainly need assistance later. eg. delphiniums, peonies, phlox.
Transplant- This is the best time to divide hostas, fern, grasses or daylily.
Mulch– Lay down soaker hoses where needed, use an organic mulch, and don’t mulch heavy around the crown of plants.
Fertilize– trees, shrubs perennials. You can use the same fertilizer for most plants, with the exception of acid loving plants needing Holly-tone. It’s a good idea to use organic, if you do use chemical it should be “slow-acting”.

SPRING
For early color in window boxes plant frost tolerant pansies, violas linaria and stock.

Sharpen your blades and prune now! Cut out weak stems cross-branching and winter tip die-back. Then prune to shape always cutting above out-facing buds.  ie: roses, buddleia, weigelia

Replenish your rose beds with the new Knock-outs and Flower Carpets- a Mother’s Day gift that keeps giving through October!

For a fresh look cut down your ornamental grasses before the new growth comes through.
Who says azaleas and rhododendrons are “out of style”? So much color in half-shady spaces is always cheerful and refreshing.

SUMMER
After the flush of spring does your perennial border have a“down-time”? Add anise hyssop and daisies such as purple coneflower, ‘Black-eyed Susans’ and Coreopsis.

Fill your house with easy to grow cut flowers; tall ageratum, snapdragons, dahlias and matricaria.
Replenish spring planters with heat lovers such as Dragon-wing begonias, portulaca, and vinca rosea.

Have shade trees taken over your yard? Where leaves are above roots are below. Don’t fight it. Chairs and a cool drink surrounded by planters with shade loving color is your recipe for summer pleasure.