As I drive around our area, I notice two familiar scenes: 1) Fresh mulch on commercial property landscape beds. 2) Innocent crepe myrtle trees being hacked. It must be spring.
A familiar scenario that many gardeners encounter now that the thermometer is increasing is impulse buying. We have all done it. Some plants at the garden center are so beautiful they seem to jump onto our cart without assistance. Then it happens….we get home only to discover that perfect place is not so perfect.
You can avoid this predicament by shopping at a local, full service garden center. The staff at the center are not only knowledgeable, many are certified horticulturalists who will assist you in making the correct purchase. Purchasing from a local garden center also means purchasing locally or regionally grown native and naturalized plants that gardeners prefer. Refer to my February 4, 2016, column at www.villagenewsonline.com for information on the benefits of gardening with natives. The local garden center staff can answer questions about weed control, disease control, insect control, and overall health and maintenance of plants. Some garden centers have certified landscape designers on staff. Designers usually charge a fee and require an appointment so call for details. A design can be elaborate or simple so consider maintenance and pruning requirements.
Since it is spring and many of you are ready to get out and garden, here are a few timely landscape suggestions:
- Make sure your lawn mower blade is sharp and the underside of the mower deck is free of grass and leaf debris. A dull mower blade rips the grass blade rather than slices the blade.
- Edge your mulch beds and rake the mulch. Raking loosens compacted mulch and allows water to infiltrate the soil rather than run off the mulch.
- Sharpen your pruners and spray them with a disinfectant before pruning. Spray the pruners each time you move to a different plant to prevent possible transfer of disease.
- Sharpen your shovels. I know that sounds weird since you are stabbing into the dirt, but, a sharp shovel works better. This is especially important when dividing plants.
One final thought. Research the plant or tree before you grab the pruners. A few minutes of research and planning beats months of asking…Why did I do that? Besides, what did that crepe myrtle ever do to you anyway?
