What to do in the Yard & Garden NOW!
Well the weather is starting to show signs of Spring here in the city of Grants Pass, OR. Yeah we have had some late snow & a ton of rain but the warmth will be upon us soon! Here are some tips to get your yard and garden off to a great start!
Early Spring Jobs : for the YARD
- Start winter clean up of the lawn when the grass is no longer sopping wet & your planting beds stop being a puddle of mud. Rake your lawn to get rid of dead growth, twigs and winter debris. This lets the light and air into the soil with encourages the grass to start growing.
- Re-seed bare or damaged patches of lawn. Scratch up the soil with a rake- mix up a shovel full of soil with a few scoops of grass seed and spread it where the damage was. Rake it level and keep it well watered and new grass will emerge.
- Remove Tree guards or winter protection from any young trees or shrubs. If not removed they don’t allow enough air movement around the base of the trunk and that can promote rot of the bark.
- Transplant any existing shrubs you want to move before they leaf-out.
- WEEDS start growing early! So when you see one get it!!! Getting on top of weeding now means a lot less work later on. They are easier to pull out when their roots are still shallow in early spring & keeping them from seeding will help keep them at bay.
- Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees, magnolias, crab-apples and shrubs such as euonymous to control scale insects & other pests. Use this organic control method when the buds are swelling but leaves haven’t opened yet. Apply in temperatures between 40-70 degrees F.
- Get your lawn mower serviced! Have it checked and its blades sharpened – it will leave your lawn grass healthier.
Early Spring Jobs: in the FLOWER GARDEN
- Don’t be in a hurry to remove your mulch or trim back your evergreens like lavender until the temperature is reliably warm
- Freeze/Thaw cycles over the winter may have killed some of your plants. Replace any perennials that frost has taken- get them out of the ground as soon as you can.
- Cut back any remaining dead perennial foliage from last season.
- Cut back any ornamental grasses to about 10 inches from ground.
- Remove winter protection of mounded earth from roses. Prune the roses before they leaf-out.
- Try not to start digging in your garden beds too early. You can damage the soil’s structure. If the soil picks up clumped together as big as a handful and doesn’t fall apart easy WAIT! it should not stick together like glue. When it’s dry enough you can start to dig the beds and add compost/manure in prep for planting.
- Edge your flower beds- grass grows vigorously in early spring – so edge your beds with a sharp trench to keep it in bounds. Or install permanent edging this goes a long way towards having a lower maintenance flower garden.
Happy SPRING and Gardening!!!