Sunday, March 5, 2017

How to start early gardening

Source: BHG

Plant Trees and Shrubs:

April is the ideal time to add trees and shrubs to your landscape.Bigger is not always better. Smaller specimens often catch up to larger ones within a year or two.

Start Mowing:
By mide-month, lawns in many areas will be growing quickly. Each time you mow, your goal should be to remove no more than one-third of the lawn's height. Always keep your mower blades sharp, and adjust the mowing height to 2-3 inches for most grass types.

Add Spring Color: 
In the North, give your garden an early boost of color with annual flowers that tolerate colder temperatures. Good choices include pansy, primula, sweet alyssum, calendula, snapdragon, and osteospermum. In frost-free regions, it's time to switch to warm-weather annuals, including celosia, zinnia, marigold, verbena, cosmos and cleome. 

Prune Early Bloomers: 
Trim overgrown azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias after their flowers have faded. Avoid shearing; instead, use light, selective trimming to keep them looking their best. 

Pour On the Mulch: 
Add fresh mulch to landscape beds and flower borders. It's much easier to mulch when plants are just breaking dormancy. 

Start Vegetables: 
In cooler regions, continue planting lettuce, spinach, potatoes, onions, broccoli, peas, and cauliflower. In frost-free locations, continue planting okra, cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, peppers, and other warm-weather crops. 

Plant Bulbs: 
In temperature regions, plant summer bulbs such as caladium, canna, blood lily and dahlia. In Northern regions, wait until mid-May to plant these tropical beauties.

Feed Plants: 
Now is a great time to fertilize roses, perennials, lawns, citrus and other fruit trees, and ornamental shrubs. Spread a layer of compost or other organic matter around the base of each plant. or use a slow-release granular fertilizer. 

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/pests/insects-diseases-weeds/when-to-apply-weed-control/?ordersrc=rdbhg1108406


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