By: Denise Peterson, Crescent Hill Garden Club
Here are garden tips to help you get the gardening season started.
MARCH
Flowers
- Give bulbs a little fertilizer (5-10-5) just as the tips of leaves start to show.
- Start annual flower seeds inside mid March.
- Plant pansies and other cold tolerant plants outside.
- Repot houseplants. Choose one size larger pots. Apply reduce rate fertilizer.
- Direct sow flower seeds such as larkspur and poppies in full sun
Trees and Shrubs
- Plant trees and shrubs now while they are still dormant. Spring is the only time to plant birch, dogwood, and magnolia.
- Prune summer blooming trees and shrubs for example crepe myrtle, and butterfly bush.
- Woody plants that bloom before June 1st can be pruned just after flowering.
- Prune and fertilize brambles and blueberries
Lawn
- Pre-emergent herbicides can be applied now.
- Crabgrass preventer can be applied when the forsythia blooms.
- Plant grass seed now except in areas where pre-emergents were applied.
- No fertilizer until fall
- Sharpen mower blade if you haven’t already.
- Start mowing at 1.5”-2.0” blade height.
Vegetables
- It is safe to plant asparagus, beets, cabbage plants, carrots, chard, collards, kale, lettuce, onions, peas,
potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips. - Broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and other cool season plants can be planted late March
APRIL
Flowers
- Cut back any of last season’s growth before new growth begins.
- Pinch off seed stalks of bulbs.
- Let bulb foliage die back naturally.
- Plant tender canna, calla, dahlia and lily bulbs at the end of the month.
- Uncover roses and prune out damaged or diseased branches.
- Apply layer of compost ad/or mulch.
- Begin to harden seedling to prepare them for planting outdoors in May.
- Fertilize roses (5-10-5) and houseplants (10-10-10).
Trees and Shrubs
- There is still time to plant balled & burlapped plants at the beginning of the month.
- You can begin trimming evergreens.
- Trim now and you will not have as much grow-back during the summer.
Lawn
- Crabgrass preventer can be applied when the forsythia blooms.
- Don’t apply fertilizer or you will have to mow more often.
Vegetables
- You can still plant onions, potatoes, chard, lettuce, peas, carrots, and beets.
- In late April you can plant beans.
- Pull mulch off of strawberries and asparagus.
MAY
Flowers
- Divide perennials just as they are emerging.
- Fertilize roses (5-10-5).
- Plant summer blooming bulbs
- Plant annual flowers – first frost free day is May 10 in zone 6b.
- Pinch back late summer and fall blooming perennials
Trees & Shrubs
- Keep an eye out for bag worms and spider mites on evergreens.
- Prune spring-blooming shrubs immediately after flowering.
- Prune evergreens now through July
- Keep watering newly planted trees and shrubs. Make sure they get one inch per week.
Lawn
- Use products for weed control that don’t contain any fertilizer.
- Mow lawn to 2 1/2 inches every 5-7 days.
Vegetables
- Plant and seed vegetable garden.
- Plant heat-loving veggies like tomatoes after May 10.
- Never let weeds go to seed.
- Protect bees by reducing the use of pesticides.
- Practice succession planting to get the most out of your garden space.
- Put down a thick layer of mulch around tomato plants to keep soil-born diseases from splashing onto plants.