

| PRUNING - The months of March, April and May are ideal for pruning evergreens. So if you have a juniper, conifer or cypress that needs shearing or pruning this is a good time to accomplish this task. Keep your pruning cuts within the green (foliage) parts of the plant. If you cut back into bare branches it is sometimes difficult or impossible for the plant to re-grow from the old growth. Remember what is accomplished now, will definitely cut down on garden maintenance later this season. Time to start thinking about the summer garden. If one wants to enjoy color during the summer, spring is the time to plant out the summer flowering annuals, bulbs, perennials and shrubs. This is also the month to begin getting the lawn in shape for the summer. In fact, what you accomplish this month will greatly cut back on garden maintenance the rest of this spring and summer. ANNUALS - By mid to late month it should be warm enough to plant out just about all of the summer flowering annuals. Early in the month it should be relatively safe to plant the hardy annuals like Pansies, Snapdragons, Stock, Dianthus, and Petunias. Geraniums, Fuchsias and Impatiens should be ready by mid month and later in the month go ahead and plant out the more tender annuals like Salvia, Zinnias, Marigolds, Lobelia and the rest of them. If you have already planted out a few of these annuals, just watch the weather forecasts, to be sure there is no danger of frost that could damage them. If frost is forecast cover the plants with newspapers, light cloth or some type of overnight protection. BULBS - It`s hard to beat the summer color that Dahlias, Gladiolus, tuberous Begonias, Lilies and Cannas can provide in the summer. All of these and other summer flowering bulbs can be planted this month. |
