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Karen
Collins, a longtime Sugar Creek
employee, has identified things you
can tackle in your garden this
month:
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Plant pansies.
-
Working wet soil
destroys the soil structure, so
wait until it dries out to dig,
rototill, or even walk on. If
not, your soil will compact so
harshly that later in the year,
it will be packed hard -- not a
good growth environment.
-
Complete tree
pruning. Do not prune trees
during new leaf growth
-
Apply Espoma
Organic Traditions Garden Sulfur
to soils around acid-loving
plants (Azaleas, Rhododendrons,
Hollies and Dogwoods)
-
When new growth
appears in perennial beds, apply
a balanced fertilizer like
Osmocote.
-
Prune ornamental
grasses to 6-8 inches.
-
Prune shrub roses
(not climbing roses), butterfly
bushes, crape myrtle.
-
Clean up and
dispose of all diseased foliage
from roses, peonies, iris and
daylilies. These are subject to
fungal leaf diseases.
-
Summer and
fall-blooming perennials can be
divided now.
-
It's a good time
to prohibit new weed growth with
Miracle-Gro's Shake 'n Feed All
Purpose Plant Food Plus Weed
Preventer.
-
Root-bound
houseplants should be repotted
before active growth occurs. New
containers should be 1 or 2
inches larger than old pot.
Plants that are still resting
should not be fertilized. When
signs of new growth appear, then
fertilize.
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If you are like
me, on warm days that we soon
will be experiencing, you will
want to clean up your garden.
But we should wait for new
leaves on most herbaceous plants
before removing old foliage. If
the old leaves are not
protecting the crowns, you can
clean them out. If plants have
spent flower stalks, they can be
removed. Wet, mushy foliage on
last year's hostas can be
removed to increase air
circulation around the crown.
-
If you don't know
the cultivar of your hydrangea,
do not cut it back except for
spent flowers.
Look for Karen's Monthly Gardening
Guide in the Sugar Creek gift shop
-- great as a tool or as a gift for
the gardener in your life!
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