Something to Get You Going on Spring Cleaning in Your Garden
Rake, Prune, Clean And Cultivate Before Spring Growth
By Joel M. Lerner
By Joel M. Lerner
Saturday, February 23, 2008; Page F03
Until now, fallen leaves and other winter debris have been protecting your plants. Now it's time to clean up before new growth begins.
After cleaning the beds, assess which woody broadleaf evergreens need to be rejuvenated. Renewal pruning of broadleaf evergreens is best done now. Hard pruning is necessary only if a plant has overgrown its boundaries and is losing ornamental value.
A few pruning caveats:
1. In extreme shade, shrubs will be slow to renew and should be pruned only if necessary.
2. Never prune when plants are wet; it's the easiest way to spread disease.
3. Don't cut more than 15 percent of foliage on newly installed shrubs.
4. Never cut conifers (needle- and cone-bearing trees and shrubs) using these methods. They do not renew in the same manner.
5. Most deciduous shrubs should be pruned after they bloom, not now.
Begin to cut beds and prep new ones; add plants; move others where necessary. Dig those big clumps of daylily, hosta, Siberian bugloss, astilbe, ferns, liriope, echinacea, black-eyed Susans, coreopsis and other plants you have been meaning to divide.
Until now, fallen leaves and other winter debris have been protecting your plants. Now it's time to clean up before new growth begins.
After cleaning the beds, assess which woody broadleaf evergreens need to be rejuvenated. Renewal pruning of broadleaf evergreens is best done now. Hard pruning is necessary only if a plant has overgrown its boundaries and is losing ornamental value.
A few pruning caveats:
1. In extreme shade, shrubs will be slow to renew and should be pruned only if necessary.
2. Never prune when plants are wet; it's the easiest way to spread disease.
3. Don't cut more than 15 percent of foliage on newly installed shrubs.
4. Never cut conifers (needle- and cone-bearing trees and shrubs) using these methods. They do not renew in the same manner.
5. Most deciduous shrubs should be pruned after they bloom, not now.
Begin to cut beds and prep new ones; add plants; move others where necessary. Dig those big clumps of daylily, hosta, Siberian bugloss, astilbe, ferns, liriope, echinacea, black-eyed Susans, coreopsis and other plants you have been meaning to divide.
This is a great article to get you going on spring cleaning in your garden. Read the entire Washington Post article and get raking!
Angela Jones
AngelaJonesRealEstate.com
AngelaJonesRealEstate.com
posted by Real Estate Girl @ 3:37 PM
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