Prepared by Terry Lewis
As spring unfolds, take time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” ~ Claude Monet
Tasks
- Compost weed-free grass clippings and other thorn and disease-free garden waste.
- Better yet, start a grasscycling program for an existing lawn.
Pruning
- Shape hedges.
- Do not apply any treatments to pruning cuts or other wounds because these materials are ineffective and often are detrimental.
- Chip yard waste and use as mulch or as an addition to the compost pile.
Fertilizing
- Do not overfertilize. Follow the instructions on the fertilizer container. Excessive fertilization leads to contamination of waterways and lush plant growth that requires more water.
Planting
- Plant annual summer herbs and vegetables at two-week intervals for successive crops.
- Annuals: Black-eyed susan vine (Thunbergia), sunflower (Helianthus), Verbena, Zinnia.
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: gladiolus.
- Fruits and vegetables: Last chance to plant a late crop of chard, spinach and lettuce.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: Shoestring acacia (Acacia stenophylla), Bottlebrush (Callistemon), Sedge (Carex), Smoke tree (Cotinus).
- Perennials: Yarrow (Achillea), Artemisia, Fortnight lily (Dietes), Gazania, Lilyturf (Liriope).
Enjoy now
- Annuals and perennials: alstroemeria, snapdragon (antirrhinum), columbine, fibrous begonia.
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: anemone, freesia.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: acacia, aesculus, camellia, catalpa, California wild lilac (Ceanothus).
- Fruits and vegetables: asparagus, broccoli, grapefruit, kumquat.
Things to ponder
- If oakworms, redhumped caterpillars or cabbage loopers are present, spray with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Repeat every 7 to 10 days for several weeks as a preventative measure.