It’s officially spring!  Now’s the time to start spring clean-up, and prepare your yard and garden for the new season.

LAWNS

• Seed new lawns as weather and soil conditions permit. The cool evenings and warm days of spring along with showers make it a great time to seed new grass.

TREES & SHRUBS

• Clean, sharpen & oil pruning tools.
• Remove unwanted suckers from trees & finish pruning fruit trees.
• Remove winter protection from rose bushes toward the end of the month.
• Fertilize trees and shrubs with Espoma’s Hollytone.
• Apply horticultural oil (dormant oil spray) to control over wintering insects on trees, shrubs, and vines before the buds swell.
• Prune late summer flowering shrubs like hibiscus or Rose of Sharon, and any plants damaged by wind, snow or ice.

GARDEN

• Cut back perennials and ornamental grasses.
• Clean up perennial & shrub beds; apply Preen as directed to prevent new weeds.
• Rake debris from the lawn when the soil is fairly dry.
• Before planting, have your soil tested at a lab recommended by your Extension office to learn which nutrients are present and which ones need to be added.
• Keep in mind that digging in wet soil causes compaction, which removes the air pockets where plants get oxygen.
• Before digging, call your utility companies to locate buried wires, cables, or pipes.
• Remove tops and dead leaves from asparagus and rhubarb; side dress with a nitrogen fertilizer such as Espoma’s Dried Blood
• Plant peas, onions, asparagus & lettuce in the garden as the weather permits
• Plan your perennial gardens.  Make sure you plan the right plant in the right location – consider sunlight, moisture, and mature plant size.
• Start spring bulbs indoors such as dahlias, cannas and begonias.
• Continue indoor seeding of vegetables and flowers.
• Increase watering and fertilizing of houseplants as day length increases
• Helleborus are awaiting the melting snow and are probably already in bloom!

Click here to see our March sales and events!  For more advice, see our Helpful Handouts.