As we begin to leave the cold behind, many of us focus on warm-
weather hobbies such
as fishing, golf or picnics. Don’t just rush into your favorite
pastime, though. A little
attention to your landscape now will make it look its best this
summer.
If you haven’t done so already, take a
soil sample from your flower bed. That will tell
how much lime or fertilizer the bed needs. In the absence of a
soil test, a balanced
fertilizer should do well in most cases.
Be careful not to overfertilize. You may injure sensitive plants
or cause them to grow
too much. A slow-release fertilizer is a good option. It can
better protect plants against
fertilizer burn and can provide nutrition to them over a longer
term.
Spring is an excellent time, too, to use your fall compost in
preparing new flower beds
or amending old ones. Completed compost can be tilled or hand-
turned into native soils
to improve conditions for future flower beds.
Use partially composted material as a top mulch around shrubs to
help conserve
moisture in the summer heat. Don’t bother removing the old mulch
unless it has
become badly matted and waterlogged.
Most of your major pruning chores should be completed by now.
Prune early-blooming
plants such as azaleas, forsythia, hydrangea and dogwood,
though, as soon as they’ve
finished flowering. Pruning these plants now will ensure next
year’s crop of blooms.
Now would be a great time to add some color to your landscape,
too. Our soils are
warming, so many summer annuals can be planted without fear of
frost. A bright bed
of impatiens, geraniums, begonias or old reliable marigolds can
add colorful contrast to
any landscape.
Planting annuals or perennials in bands of solid blocks is a
great way to add contrast to
the typical background of dark green shrubs.
As a final check in your landscape, before you allow spring
outdoor fever to hit, don’t
forget to pest-proof your landscape investment. You can’t
totally rid your landscape or
garden of all bugs and diseases, but a little prevention now can
save a lot of headaches
later.
Scout your shrubs carefully now, looking for signs of insect
activity. Learn to identify
damaging pests as well as the beneficial ones — there are far
more good bugs than
harmful ones in our landscapes.
Be sure to check the undersides of leaves while looking for
problem pests. Spider
mites, aphids and lace bugs love to hide under the protective
covering of a leaf. You
won’t see them if you don’t check thoroughly.
Spray registered pesticides and organic alternatives by label
directions only when
you’re sure of the precise pest (and how many) you have.
In some cases, a small amount of insect damage may not warrant a
full-scale spraying.
You may kill more beneficial insects than harmful ones.
Disease problems may begin to appear as we get into warmer
weather. Many of the
leaf-spot diseases that appear on shrubs cause only minor
cosmetic damage.
More severe problems can be a sign of trouble in the root zone.
Your county
extension
agent can help diagnose them and suggest the right fungicide
or cultural practice to
use.
By spending a little time in your landscape now, you can better
enjoy the great
activities spring and summer have to offer.
