Getting Ready for Spring
- Get a soil test.
- Evaluate the performance of plants in your yard.
- By definition a weed is ANY plant growing in a place that it is unwanted. Remove the weeds from the landscaping.
- Amend your soil.
- It's a good time to get your tools in shape for working in the yard. Beat the rush to get powered equipment sharpened, spark plugged, oiled, etc. and get hand tools sharpened, handles replaced, and cleaned.
- Many trees and shrubs need to be pruned in winter or early spring. If the shrubs bloom in spring, don't prune.
- Plant trees and shrubs in the cooler weather. They are more likely to survive.
- Clean up the perennials that have dead tissue just hanging around.
- Get a landscape design done.
- Make a compost pile.
- If your shrubs have scale, apply dormant oil to control them.
- Cut back Liriope.
- Start seedlings to plant outside when weather allows.
- Pre-emergent herbicides need to be applied to turf before it comes out of dormancy.
- Check your irrigation system to be sure its working properly. It's also a good time to have an irrigation system installed and beat the spring rush.
- If you were planning on adding new hardscapes to your landscaping, add them now prior to planting to minimize damage to your plants.
- Wash your containers and evaluate their condition. If there is still potting soil in them, add it to your compost pile. Cracked pots can be turned upside down, elevated with a small rock, and become a toad abode.
- Hang bat houses and bluebird houses now to invite them to your yard.
- What condition is your outdoor furniture in? A coat of paint added now or new cushions can have you ready for spring.
- Many vegetables need to be planted in late winter such as asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, mustard, onion sets, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
Amy Bledsoe
Sanctuaries By Design
Landscape Design & Horticultural Consultant
(803) 419-4787 (home)
(803) 240-2636 (Cell)
abledsoedesign@msn.com
Credentials: Horticulturist, landscape designer, named 2002 Outstanding Horticulture Student by South Carolina Landscape Association, certified arborist, certified pesticide applicator, certified nursery professional, certified environmental landscaper, member SC Nursery and Landscape Association, member GCLA, member International Society of Arborists, member Barry Manilow International Fan Club, general plant geek, and just plain certifiable!
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