Gardening: Plants are ahead of schedule this spring

OK, folks, I think it’s safe to consider winter is over, such as it was. I have gardened here for nearly 50 years and have never been able to dig holes in January or February. It was strange to be out finishing a major path project in a sweatshirt. On to spring.

I think we are about three weeks ahead of schedule this year. I’ve seen forsythia blooming already. Leaf buds on my Amur maple are opening, and the early daffodils are opening. If your soil has dried enough to be workable it’s time to get digging. The soil is dry enough when a handful squished together breaks apart easily.

First, hold off on pruning and removing the mulch from roses for a couple more weeks, especially if you live in a colder area. We may still get a surprise storm. Once you uncover and prune them, feed them a good rose fertilizer.

Hold off turning sprinkler systems on until mid-April and then do a repair walk through. I don’t know what the weather will be like this summer, but it would be better to have the system in good shape so when it dries out and it gets hot, we aren’t scrambling when the plants get stressed.

Finish clearing out debris off your perennials so they can get the sun. Fertilize them with a good balanced fertilizer. The spring rains will wash the fertilizer into the soil. If your soil is dry enough, it’s time to start moving any perennials to new spots in the garden. Plant the clumps at the same level they were originally at.

To divide a large clump, insert a sharp shovel into the middle of a clump and gently break it apart. Sometimes an old but sharp bread knife can be used to saw clumps apart. Water the new plantings well and hold off fertilizing for a month.

Lawns are waking up and now is a good time to aerate them before fertilizing. Aeration opens the soil to air and water and improves lawn health. After aeration, fertilize the lawn with a slow-release fertilizer that will be released at a rate the lawn can use. The fast-acting fertilizers will quickly create a dark green lawn but at the expense of forming deep grass roots that can better withstand drought. I don’t recommend thatching lawns here because we don’t have the conditions that promote thatch development. It just tears up the grass and reduces the health of the grass.

Shrubs and trees are coming out of dormancy early so get your pruning done now. When the plants are bare, it’s easier to see the branch structure. In general, remove broken or crossing branches and then old wood so the plant can generate new growth. Don’t take more than a third of the plant at a pruning to preserve its shape and ability to continue to grow properly. Don’t trim rhododendrons, lilacs or forsythias until just after they bloom. If you do, you’ll remove this year’s blooms.