GARDEN 

TIPS

Flower Power

• The last average frost date in our area is May 24. Annual transplants are usually safe to plant around this date.
• Pansies are one of the first annuals you can plant in Spring - freezing temperatures do not damage them.
• Fresh daffodils (from your garden or florist) are great flowers to use as a bouquet to adorn your home, but never combine them with other flowers. They exude a substance that is deadly to other flowers.
• Remove finished flowers from flowering Spring bulbs but leave the foliage to "die back" naturally to produce food for next year's blooms.
• Morning glory seeds germinate faster if they are soaked overnight between two damp paper towels.
• Gladiola and dahlia bulbs are best planted in early May.

Mulching

• Heavy clay soil can be improved by incorporating organic matter, such as moss or manure.
• Want to reduce the amount of weeding required in your garden this year? Apply a layer of mulch to your flower beds and vegetable garden. You will need it at least 2 inches thick to suppress weeds.

Pruning

• Prune back perennials before new growth reaches 2 inches in height.
• Fir, spruce and pine trees should be pruned when the new growth (candles) have fully emerged. Do not cut all the growth every year - only a portion of it.
• Spring flowering shrubs (such as spirea, forsythia and lilacs) should be pruned after they flower.
• General Rule of Thumb: Remove flowers immediately after they have faded - this will prevent the plant from wasting energy producing seeds.
• Do not prune maple, birch or beech trees in the Spring - only prune these trees when they are in leaf.

Fertilizing

• Roses love potassium. Bananas are high in potassium, so bury a few around your rose bushes.
• Fertilizers high in phosphorous (the middle number on commercial fertilizers) promote strong roots. Be sure to use it every time you plant.
• Always water a plant well before you fertilize it. The plant is less likely to burn if you accidentally over fertilize.

Birding

• Do you want to attract more birds to your yard? Consider planting sweet cherry or mountain ash trees, or shrubs like serviceberry, elderberry and bush honeysuckle. Birds cannot resist the fruit from these plants.
• Hummingbird Nectar Recipe: Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water and bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool before filling the feeder.

Odds & Ends

• Once the frost is out of the ground, you can remove winter protection (i.e., burlap wraps, evergreen branches, etc.) from your garden.
• Repair, reseed or aerate your lawn in Spring when we have cooler temperatures and more rain.
• Spring is the best time to apply dormant oil spray - it smothers overwintering insects.