The Spring Garden … To-do List
** Note: Last frost date for central Virginia - May 15 ** It’sthe season all green-thumbers dream about…Spring! So shake off those winter blues, dust off your shovels, rakes and gloves and get out in the garden - or better yet, give us a call and we’ll do it for you!
Here’s the short list of seasonal chores:
● Prune spring-flowering shrubs such as azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons after they bloom. If you miss this window of opportunity, don’t prune! You’ll lose next spring’s blooms.
● Prune overgrown vines once they have bloomed.● Begin fertilizing trees and shrubs once growth starts.
● Hold off on pruning birch, maple, and other “bleeding” trees until after the leaves develop.● Clean up and prune trees and shrubs that have been broken by winter storms, but hold off on pruning frost and cold damage until growth starts, so you can see what’s going to recover.
● Plant bare-root and container-grown trees and shrubs. JWT, Inc. now offers bare-root tree planting!
● Begin fertilizing trees and shrubs once growth starts.
● Weed bulb beds, but be careful not to disturb the bulbs!● Replant any plants that have been pushed out of the ground by frost heaving.
● Cut back overgrown or leggy perennials and remove the final remnants of last year’s die-back (like with sedum or asters). ● Cut or mow ornamental grasses, being careful not to cut the short new growth.
● Plant, divide, and transplant perennials and ornamental grasses as soon as the soil is workable.● Unless you have a warm spot to display container plants, wait until after the last frost before filling them with summer annuals. In cool spring weather, you can enjoy pansies, snapdragons, dianthus, and violas.
● Cool-season grasses (such as fescue and bluegrass) begin growing in earnest as spring arrives. If needed, feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer. Aerate and dethatch cool-season lawns only if absolutely necessary; otherwise be gentle – since lawns are delicate in spring.
● Apply pre-emergent herbicide or corn gluten to prevent crabgrass and other annual weeds.
● Spring is a good time to add soil to low areas and to patch bare spots in cool-season lawns. Remember: heavy seed planting is most successful in the fall.
● Start or add to your compost pile using the debris from spring clean-up.
● Observe your lawn and garden during the spring thaw and rains and address any drainage problems.
● Scrub garden fountains with water or a mild vinegar solution (and elbow grease!), and refill with fresh water.
● Been feeding and watching the birds all winter? Clean out, inspect, and repair birdhouses for the spring nesting season
● Continue feeding the birds…and watch for the arrival of hummingbirds!
● Repair and paint fences, trellises, arbors, and garden furniture. Interested in new patio furniture or garden accents? Call JWT, Inc. and ask for Holly – she’s our Fine Garden Ornament Pro!
● Get inspired! April 18-21—Enjoy the offerings of the 76th annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia. www.VAGardenweek.org
As always, J.W. Townsend, Inc. is here to help! Call Steve Pekary for a maintenance consultation—we can lighten your spring gardening load with a one-time visit or establish a customized program for your landscape.
Check out our Spring 2009 Newsletter.