• Steps of Spring
Old man winter has left the building and gardeners everywhere are rejoicing! Finally the cold, dank, long days of that blizzard prone season are a distant memory and the sun drenched warmer days of spring are here at last. The birds have begun to migrate. There are tiny bulb heads peeking their way through the layers of earth. Small buds are poking out on braches and the grass is beginning to transform from a dingy brown to a lush green. All these signs indicate that it is time to dust off the gardening gloves, gas up the mower and stretch out those hibernating muscles for some good, old fashioned yard work.
Benefits
Why add gardening to a growing “to-do” list? Because the benefits far out weigh the achy back and calloused. According to Colorado State University some of the attributes of having a well-tended lawn are; that it provides a clean space for play. A lawn cools its surroundings. Grass actually traps dust and pollen aiding to an allergy sufferers relief. Twenty-five square feet of grass converts enough carbon dioxide into oxygen for one person a day. Finally, having a mowed lawn serves as a fire combatant.
The health and nutritional benefits of gardening are countless as well in keeping with the Colorado State University’s findings; a family who plants a fruit and vegetable garden tend to eat more healthy fruits and vegetables. A vegetable garden helps to supply pricey fresh foods for families on limited incomes. Gardening reduces stress and anxiety. Working in the garden is terrific exercise. Tending to gardening tasks is an effective way to teach children the lessons of caring for living things and to convey that not everything in life is instantaneous, but rather, many rewards take time and nurturing.
The advantages of digging in the dirt can also be seen in the pocketbook by lowering heating and cooling costs. A well-planted landscape can additionally garner a higher price for the sale of the home. Planting in the yard can also be a preventative step to controlling rainfall runoff and reducing noise levels. With all these benefits there really in no good excuse for a gardener not to get creative and spend some quality time digging in the dirt.
Getting Started
First time gardeners and people who have black thumbs should not be apprehensive about altering their landscape and reaping the rewards of some of gardening’s benefits. Once a few simple gardening tasks are accomplished the rest of the season should be smooth sailing. But now is the time to tackle these five steps of: Clean-up/Repair, Weeding, Trimming & Pruning, Sowing & Planting and Feeding. If a gardener does these chores in the early spring months of March, April and May they should be able to sit back and soak in the beautiful colors, scents and ambiance from the fruits of their labor.
Clean-Up / Repair
For established gardens that had winter texture provided by sedums, ornamental grasses, mums, black-eyed Susans and Cone Flowers it is now time to trim these plants down to the ground.
March is the ideal time to repair or build decks, fences, arbors, trellises and birdhouses. According to Tim Rundlett, Manager of the Earl May Nursery in Shawnee Kansas, “March is the time for Purple Martins. The Purple Martin scouts are out searching for a home for their family, so erecting a birdhouse for the Martins will provide interest for the rest of the summer.”
Umbrellas, patio furniture, pots and hoses should all be examined, cleaned, repaired and set outdoors. Equipment such as mowers and shears should have their blades sharpened. Other gardening tools may need to be cleaned and repaired as well.
Building up the soil for beds in best done now and Margie Hall, Manager of Bannister Garden Center in Kansas City Missouri, suggests, “The newest trend is in amending the soil. People used to use a lot of manure but now are trying the natural base fertilizers such as alfalfa cotton burr compost. It is all natural and much more effective at keeping the garden soil loose.”
A day of general clean up is highly recommended by Rundlett who elaborates, “Remove dead foliage from perennials, rake the leaves and then I generally use that as my compost. Those leaves make a great use for water control and weed control.”
Weeding
Ah, the dreaded weeds they are quite possibly the sole reason many people avoid the garden all together. Weeds can be daunting and leave the feeling as if there is no end in sight. We pull and we pull but they just continue to come back over and over again. However according to both Rundlett and Hall, these weed headaches can be lessened to a great extent if preventative measures are taken. Rundlett continues, “Anytime the temperature is above 50 degrees you can control those over-wintering weeds with some weed spray. Try to stay on the preventative side rather than always feeling as if you need to catch up.” He goes on to say, “A crab grass preventative should not be applied until the ground is 60 degrees which is around mid April. The chemicals only have a given life span so to apply it too early is fruitless.”
Basically the key is to attempt to keep the weeds from ever germinating. By starting early and staying vigilant weeds should be a forgotten nightmare.
Trimming & Pruning
The most important aspect of trimming and pruning is to get to it before the new growth begins to emerge on the intended plant. That is except for early spring bloomers like Lilacs, Forsythia, Weigela and Spirea which should all be trimmed after they have bloomed. Lilacs should be pruned lightly. Forsythia, Weigela and Spirea can be cut to 1/3 their original size.
Examine the limbs on your trees and shrubs, many of which may have incurred significant damage over the winter with the frozen ice. Trim these errant branches back in early March. Notice rabbit damage and lawn mower damage to any perennials and prune the distressed spots. Margie Hall adds, “The newest thought on pruning is to cut back in the spring rather than the fall. Experts seem to think that the plant will survive the winter better, especially a newly sowed plant.”
Pruning rose bushes should be done this time of year as well. Tim Rundlett’s advice for the ever popular Knockout Rose bushes, “You can be as mean as you want to be with these roses. If you are using the rose as a filler than prune 6 inches all the way around. But you can prune a Knockout Rose Bush to 1/3 its original size.”
Now is also the time to prune fruit trees and evergreens such as Juniper and Cypress. Honeysuckle may be trimmed back to 3 feet in size. Trim Lirope, large herbs and mint.
Continue to dead-head tulips and daffodils and to clean up any decaying leaves.
The lawn is about the only living organism that should not be cut or trimmed too much during these early spring months. By keeping the grass blades longer they will choke out any weeds that may be trying to peek through to reach the suns warm rays.
Planting
March is the month for transplanting trees and shrubs before the buds have swelled. If you have a plant that needs to be relocated now is that time.
If a gardener plans on having many of their plants started by seeds then those need to be sown indoors. Seeds that are blooming summer annuals like cosmos, asters, marigolds, zinnias and petunias need to be planted. Vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant seeds should also get into the dirt.
It is that time of year to plant peas, asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish, artichokes, strawberries, blueberries, currants, boysenberries and grapes in prepared beds with well amended soil that is nutrient rich.
For the anxious gardener March is a wonderful time to sow some cold weather plants. Tim Rundlett elaborates, “Pansies and violas are great to get into the ground. They love the cold weather and give you that early spring color we all have been waiting throughout the winter to see.”
In April the weather becomes a bit milder and it is time to plant fruit trees in a sunny spot of the yard. Rosebushes should also be put into the ground at this time.
According to Tim Rundlett April 15th is a safe date to earmark as the time to get annuals in the ground such as impatiens, geraniums, fushia, Dianthus, snapdragons and petunias.
If you need to thin out any peonies or purchase new varieties Margie Hall suggests, “The Garden Treasure is a rare dark, deep yellow peony, or The Coral Charm is also an uncommon color in the peony family.”
Divide any perennials like daylilies, Delphiniums, iris’, chrysanthemums and daisies then possibly give a few away to friend and neighbors in celebration of Earth Day.
By late in April tender bulbs like cannas and gladiolas can be sowed into the soil.
May brings some of the last plantings of the season with tomatoes, squash, cucumber, pumpkin and pepper. A gardener may either plant the seedling they started back in early March or lodge established plants in their prepared beds. Hall recommends, “Our favorite varieties of tomatoes are Merced, Mountain Spring or Celebrity here at Bannister Garden Center. Theses have flourished for the past 15 years in our gardens and they produce a fabulous, juicy, full tomato.”
Feeding
Tim Rundlett’s advice for feeding the garden, “The general rule is March 1st to November 1st is feeding time, whether it is the houseplants or the lawn. However, trees and shrubs can be fertilized at any given time of the year. Using spikes for established plants tends to reap good rewards for gardeners and Miracle Grow is fantastic for a new plant.”
The best way to fertilize trees and shrubs is to use an acid type rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. Use an all-purpose fertilizer to feed the roses and other deciduous trees.
Tomatoes should be fertilized when their fruit is marble size.
Working lime into the soil around hydrangeas will help to produce a more vibrant pink bloom or Aluminum Sulphate with help to enhance the blue blooms.
Lilac bushes would do well to have a feeding of 10-10-10 fertilizer after they are done blooming.
Lastly as Margie Hall reiterates, “Water your lawn religiously at least 1 inch every week.”
Enjoy
It may seem a bit overwhelming but if a gardener gets the bulk of their weeding and feeding done in the first few months of spring there should be very few chores that need to be tackled during the hot summer months. Take a deep breath and enjoy the scent of Lilacs in bloom and behold the brilliant canary yellow Forsythia. Create a pot of Pansies and violas as a reminder that the canvas of life is just waiting to burst forth with colors and a large part of that beautiful display is in thanks to a bit of toiling in the yard.
Clean-up:
- Cut winter texture
- Repair and/or create hardscapes
- Clean & sharpen tools
- Prepare vegetable and perennial beds
- Rake
Pruning:
- Fruit trees
- Evergreens
- Injured limbs
- Rose bushes
- Jasmine
- Honeysuckle
- After flowering prune lilac, spirea and forsythia
Planting:
March:
- Transplant trees & shrubs
- Sow seeds indoors
- Plant pansies, violas and other cold-loving annuals
- Plant peas, asparagus, strawberries and other hardy fruits & vegetables
April:
- Divide perennials
- Plant new roses
- Plant fruit trees
- Place dahlias, gladiolas, cannas and other warm weather bulbs
- Mid April is ideal to have all annuals planted.
May:
- Plant summer flowering perennials such as Delphinium, phlox and daylilies
- Plant tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and other tender vegetables
Resources:
Tim Rundlett, manager of Earl May in Shawnee, KS
Margie Hall, manager of Bannister Garden Center in Kansas City, MO