The month of March was challenging. March was warm in the beginning and then turned colder during the middle of the month. The last 10 days of March were back to normal for March. But, on a more positive note\u2014March kept up with giving us weekly rainfall, which was nice.<\/p>\n
WARNING! Just because it is now April\u2014watch the weather! We are not out of the woods yet regarding cold temperatures. Our average last frost date is not until around the 20th of April. I believe that last year we had a frost in early May.<\/p>\n
April opens the planting season for our summer blooming bulbs such as gladiolas, dahlias, calla lilies, begonias, Virginia bluebells, and much more.<\/p>\n
Think about NOT bagging your grass clippings this season. Grass clippings are 85 percent water and break down quickly, returning 20 percent of the nitrogen back to the lawn.<\/p>\n
You may want to think about holding off on planting our summer vegetables until the end of this month\u2014such as tomatoes.<\/p>\n
The proper time to prune spring-blooming shrubs, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, etc., is after blooming. Also, this is the perfect time to give them good quality feeding, such as with ESPOMA HOLLY-TONE.<\/p>\n
When planting trees and shrubs, remember the GOLDEN RULE FOR PLANTING: “RIGHT PLANT \/ RIGHT LOCATION.\u201d Plants may look small and cute in the garden center. But they may only be babies. Be sure to read the plant label for the eventual growing dimensions and space them properly when doing your planting.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be in too much of a rush to move houseplants outdoors. You need to watch the weather. Tropical plants are best with temperatures no lower than 50 degrees.<\/p>\n