While temperatures have been unpredictable lately, with highs near 80 and lows dipping into the 30’s, Spring is definitely in the air and it’s time to think about your garden. Some of us at the Dana Green Team have a green thumb. We are fortunate to have Orchard Nursery as a local resource. At Orchard, you’ll find answers to any gardening question you may have. Stop in, call, or check-out their website which is full of great gardening tips for both the novice and expert alike. Following are a few of our own gardening tips based on experience, as well as a few from the experts at Orchard. At the least, it’s never too early to start a general garden cleanup. At most, it’s the perfect time to get some summer color started.
- Rake debris off of beds where bulbs might be trying to push through.
- Cut back and prune evergreen and perennial foliage, especially the woody dead branches. Don’t like the shape of something? Trim it a bit. You won’t hurt it. It will stimulate new growth.
- Prune your deciduous fruit trees. Pruning in winter stimulates new growth; pruning in summer helps keep trees small.
- Prune your roses – and then feed them.
- Cut down ornamental grasses near the base.
- Apply a general fertilizer for all your plants and feed your citrus.
- Plant your edibles now: Start seeds indoors or in a green house and transplant outdoors in 6 – 8 weeks.
- Plant dahlias now for summer color.
- Get instant color all spring long by planting annual flowers such as Iceland poppies, pansies, violas, ranunculus, and primulas.
Finally, it’s a nice idea to keep a gardening notebook from year to year, a place to keep track of what you planted and when, what worked and didn’t work, and ideas for the following year. For more gardening tips, sign-up for Orchard’s e-newsletter here. (You’ll also receive members-only perks such as invitations to special events, early notification of sales and promotions, information about workshops, and exclusive discounts.)