March & April

Finally the air is warming up a little, and it is time to prepare for the long awaited gardening season to begin.

Spring gardening can be challenging to predict, depending on where you live, so keeping an eye on the Old Farmer’s Almanac, can be of useful help. Ideally we are able to balance the excitement for the growing season ahead with the right amount of patience to not plant too early.

March may be a good time to plant either deciduous trees or shrubs. Some vegetables that can tolerate the frost can also be planted, such as kale, carrots and spinach. It is a good idea to spray fruit trees with dormant spray prior to their new growth when temperatures are in the 40s Farenheit. Pruning them can be done up until budding was long as is it above freezing out.

When April comes around perennials can be divided if they have become too crowded, - or you can plant some new ones if the weather really feels like spring. Although most annual flowers need the soil to warm up before planting, and are thus best to save for your area’s last frost date, some cool weather loving plants like nemesia and pansies can go in the ground early. Spring containers can get filled with petunias, lobelia and alyssum.

Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries can be planted.

Get some heat loving plants such as cucumbers, corn and green beans going if the temperatures get in the sixties or above.

Any dead spots in grassy areas can get some patching up; add compost in the spots, use some grass seeds on top, pack it in and lay straw over to protect the seeds.

Watering the garden really well is helpful at this time.

If you are gardening in an area where late spring frosts and freezes are a possibility, it is best to keep an eye on the forecast and be prepared to cover up plants with tender emerging buds or foliage. Old sheets and towel rags are good options, or purchase professional row cover, but do not use plastic as it will just magnify the effect of the cold. If the buds have not yet begun to open, there is no need to cover them.   

Gardening: Care for the Early Spring Season

  • Inspect.

    On a lovely first warm day of the spring, head out to your garden with a notepad; inspect what has happened during the winter months.

    Check for:

    Any ice, snow or cold damage

    Beds that need clean-out

    Hardscaping elements that have shifted, cracked, rotted or bowed

    Evidence of new animal burrows or deer or rodent damage.

  • Clean up.

    If the ground is still too hard to be worked, it is good to focus your energy on hardscaping repairs; level out stepping stones, clean the gutters, fix trellises, raised beds, decks, sheds and fences.

    Early spring is also a perfect time to tidy up the edging of beds, plan for and build new raised beds or widening existing ones. Fresh coats of paint or stain can be added to any wooden hardscaping elements when temperatures allow for it.

    Clean plant debris out of garden beds only just before the spring bulbs pop; matted down leaves, fallen branches, annuals and foliage from last year. This helps keep diseases and pests at bay.

    You can also test your garden soil at this time.

    If you have a water feature, clean out debris from it. Bird baths and containers should be scrubbed and sterilized.

  • Feed your soil.

    With the results of your soil testing, it is a good idea to talk to a local gardener about what products to use to amend it.

    For most, it is useful to top dress the soil with compost, humus and/or manure just before or when your bulbs start emerging. Sprinkle some organic slow release plant food around shrubs and perennials so that earthworms can work it down into the soil for you.

Prune & prep.

It is time to get out a good pair of sharp pruners to take care of some types of woody shrubs and trees.

  • Start by cutting out any parts that are broken or damaged by winter cold, snow and ice, and remove dead wood.

  • Flowering shrubs which bloom on this year’s growth - new wood - can be trimmed. Some of these are roses, potentilla, butterfly bush and some hydrangeas. The flower will be set on the new flush of growth that appears after pruning.

  • Shear back evergreens like arborvitae and boxwood once their initial flush of new growth has finished.

  • DO NOT prune shrubs that bloom on old wood or are early flowering, like lilac, quince, ninebark, azalea, forsythia and weigela, or you may risk cutting off this year’s flower buds.

  • When they are just beginning to pop, divide and transplant summer and fall blooming perennials that have outgrown their space or, which have become large enough to split, if desired. Spring blooming perennials should be divided and moved in the fall to not disrupt their cycle.

  • Evergreen shrubs can be moved in early spring before their new growth appears, or in early fall to have enough time to re-establish roots before the winter.

  • Deciduous shrubs can be moved any time the weather is mild and they are not blooming, but it is best to move them in the early spring while they are dormant, to cause as little stress to the plant as possible.

  • Put out supports like stakes, trellises and peony rings.