Wait until mid-May to plant

Tue., May 2, 2006

Pat Munts Correspondent

I have 50 dahlia tubers to plant and a similar number of gladiola corms. Spring, up until very recently, has been cold, wet and windy. When will the ground be warm enough to plant these flowers? I don’t want them to just sit and rot, but don’t want to miss the earliest opportunity to get them into the ground.

Also, I have six “own root” roses I planted last summer. There is very little green on them right now, and the rest of the stems are black. I know they are supposed to grow back from their own roots. Do I prune back all the black canes now, and wait and see what happens?

Deb Slater, Spokane Valley

I may have lots of good information, but I don’t have an “in” with the weather gods. Sorry. I’d wait until mid-May to plant both. Neither of the plants can handle any frost, and May 15 is our last frost date. By then the soil will have had a chance to warm up more, too, and they should come up quite quickly. Putting them out too early can actually stunt their growth, costing you growing time in the long run.

As to your roses, first-year roses can get be damaged by winter cold, especially if they were planted after the middle of the summer. They need time to get fully established. Once they are, they aren’t as likely to be affected. Take heart, though. Most of the roses I’ve seen are really slow greening up this spring. So wait a few more weeks and see what comes alive. Once it’s obvious what is green and what is not, cut the dead stuff out. Remember to water well when it starts getting hot.

Bring geraniums inside

I have some geraniums that were dug, put into planter sand, then put in the garage last fall. I watered them about once a month through the winter, and now they are starting to get green on the ends. What should I do to prepare them for planting again when the ground is warm enough?

Bernie Neal, Spokane Valley

You did everything right over the winter, and your plants are rewarding you. Bring the pots into the house where they can get good indirect but bright light, and water them well. They should start showing more signs of life quickly. After they have a few good leaves, start feeding them with a balanced fertilizer according to the directions. Once it has warmed up (after mid-May), start moving them outside during the day and bringing them in at night for a week to harden them off. You should be able to put them in the ground around the first of June.

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